Superintendent Ron Livingood is pleased to announce the selection of Mr. John Preston as principal of Grant County Middle School (GCMS). Mr. Preston assumed the role of Principal on July 1, 2014, replacing Mr. Tim Grayson, who has accepted a position with Newport Independent Schools.
Mr. Preston is a fairly new face in the community, but made himself a valuable member of the GCMS administrative team after coming to Grant County Middle School as an assistant principal for the 2013-2014 school year. According to Kelly Lee, a teacher representative on the Grant County Middle School Site Based Decision Making (SBDM) Council, the council was unanimous in its decision to select Mr. Preston. “He was a solid candidate that matched the criteria for ALL stakeholders.”
Mr. Preston brings a unique set of experiences and perspectives to the position. He was raised in Michigan, but followed a basketball scholarship to Washington State, where he graduated in 1976. He then pursued his teaching career in western United States, serving as teacher, coach, and Athletic Director for several years. In 2000, Mr. Preston received his Master of Education from Heritage College in Washington and currently holds Principal certifications in Idaho, California, and Kentucky. His administrative positions have been varied, ranging from principal and acting superintendent in a very small rural district in Idaho to Assistant Principal and Teacher-in-Charge of at-risk students in a large suburban district in California.
In 2011, Mr. Preston and his wife moved to Kentucky to allow their now 16 year-old-daughter, Kelsie, the opportunity to pursue her passion in the horse racing industry. For two years, he commuted back and forth between his new home in Kentucky and his employment in California.
When given the opportunity last year to live and work here in Kentucky, he jumped at it, and has been very happy with his decision. “This past year has been an awesome year,” states Mr. Preston. “I’ve loved working here. This is one of the hardest-working staffs and I’ve learned a lot from them.”
Mr. Preston’s experience with at-risk students brings a strong belief that every single student can learn. He feels the role of the teaching professional is to discover what makes a student click, then to provide those opportunities. “With this philosophy as the foundation, I look forward to continuing the momentum here at Grant County Middle School, and to keep getting better. My goal is to go to “Distinguished.”
As principal, Mr. Preston plans to have an open-door policy, and invites parents to come in and talk with him about their student(s). “I want parents to have a positive, welcoming experience when they visit our school,” shares Preston. “I’m excited to have this opportunity and commit to work hard for our students.”
In addition to their daughter, Mr. Preston and his wife, Joanie, have three grown children: Gene (in Maine), Shannon (in Idaho), and Thomas (in Washington). Kelsie’s experience here in Kentucky, by the way, has been very rewarding with multiple opportunities in the equine business coming her way.