Kent City — Earlier this year, Steve Garrison thought he’d give retirement a try.
It didn’t stick.
He had stepped away from Tri-County Area Schools at the end of May, and by July, he was interviewing for, and later accepted, the position of assistant principal at Kent City Elementary School.
“I always knew, when I retired, that I still wanted to work. I didn’t want to just sit,” he said. “And I wanted to still be in schools. I didn’t necessarily expect this, but that’s just the way it happened, and I’m excited about it.”
SNN gets to know Garrison better in this edition of Meet Your Administrator.
Other positions you have held in education: Garrison has held several teaching and administrative roles across Michigan. He’s been a physical education teacher for Holt, Sault Ste. Marie and Waterford public schools; a staff developer in Waterford; and a principal in Waterford and Holt. His most recent position was assistant elementary principal in Tri-County.
Before becoming an administrator, he took a leave of absence from public schools to serve on then-Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, Health and Sports. In that role, he trained physical educators around the state and country on how to teach using the Exemplary Physical Education curriculum.
He’s also been a coach for various golf, tennis and basketball teams throughout his career.
‘We need to help kids see that becoming a balanced person is crucial.’
— Steve Garrison
Education/degrees:
- Bachelor’s degree in exercise science, Michigan State University
- Master’s degree in educational pedagogy, Western Michigan University
- Education Specialist degree in administrative leadership, Oakland University
Why did you want to become an administrator? Garrison admits he never really thought about it — at first. But during his time in Waterford as a teacher and staff developer, he went to the superintendent with an idea.
“I had this idea to create a new program that would connect students struggling academically with physical fitness, because I did a lot of research on how that can be beneficial since those kids tend to struggle with their motor skills. (The superintendent said) ‘We don’t have the money for that, but would you ever consider being a principal?’ Well, I had never thought about it. But he asked me to take that idea of a ‘whole child’ philosophy and bring it to the elementary school, and that was my impetus. The next year, I was the principal.”
Garrison said becoming a principal was “eye-opening, because of the number of hours you put in, but the work felt really significant — a challenge, but really good.” Based on that superintendent’s suggestion, he implemented healthy, whole-child initiatives to embed science and nutrition into the school day, which earned the school national attention and two invitations to the White House.
Your leadership style in seven words or fewer: “Positive change through encouragement.”
What would you like to share about your family? Garrison met his wife, Yvonne, in kindergarten, although they didn’t start dating until college. The couple has four adult children, two granddaughters and a dog named Jax.
“My wife and I love to be outdoors and travel — we go to national parks, do a lot of hiking. I mountain bike a lot. I also play a lot of pickleball; I used to play a lot of golf, but I don’t do that as much now that I’ve started to play pickleball.”
What is one thing on your bucket list? “There’s this hike that my wife and I have all planned out; it’s called the Tour du Mont Blanc. It’s 110 miles from France to Switzerland to Italy, going around Mont Blanc in the Alps. The hikes go up into really high altitudes where you stay overnight in these mountain huts, have family-style dinners (with other hikers), and every day you’re hiking down into the villages. … We were all set to go for our 30th anniversary when COVID hit and we had to cancel. So, next summer, that’s our big bucket list thing — we’re going to make it for our 35th anniversary.”
How will you encourage student voice at Kent City Elementary? “I think listening, letting kids have opinions, and giving them opportunity to take some leadership is all part of it. It’s fun to help these kids grow independence when you’re asking them questions and letting them lead. I’ve had kids run assemblies; I’ve helped kids who have problems getting along work through that problem together. It’s easy for the adults to make those sorts of decisions, but I think you get a lot more engagement when they’re part of it.”
How does your background in exercise science play a role in your work as an administrator? “So often we view success or a child’s ability to learn based solely on the academics, but we need to help kids see that becoming a balanced person is crucial. A person may be brilliant, but if they have trouble getting along with someone, that’s not balance. Or we know people that may make a lot of money, but they’re very unhealthy. Education is more about being a balanced person as we get older.”
What are you most excited about in coming to Kent City? “Seeing where I can add value, meeting new kids and continuing to develop. Kids are just the best, and it’s energizing to be around them every day. … And the staff is so positive here. Everybody is happy. So welcoming. Who wouldn’t want to be in a positive culture like this? I’m looking forward to getting to know the families — developing those relationships and trust — and going to be as visible as I can.”
Read more from Kent City:
• District alum takes on elementary principal role
• Mentors lead recess with sportsmanship, respect
