New Leadership at GMS

After seven and a half years as principal at Grenada Middle School, Marshall Whittemore retired in December. The new administrative team, led by new principal Jamie Harrison, continues to build on a strong foundation by listening to teachers and getting to know students. 

Principal Harrison came to GMS the same year that Whittemore took over and served as assistant principal. Before that, he was principal at Charleston Middle School for two years. His first job in education was at French Camp, teaching Social Studies, coaching high school boys basketball, and assistant coaching softball and girls basketball.

The transition in leadership has been smooth sailing for Harrison, who took over in January. 

“The first thing we did was start a leadership team,” Harrison said. The team is comprised of the four administrators along with one teacher from each grade, a counselor, and an inclusion teacher. The group’s first order was to consider responses from a staff survey to determine what was going right and what needed improvement at GMS.

“We’ve taken their suggestions and already rolled out a couple of new ideas,” Harrison said.

For starters, the sixth grade now has its own class schedule. “It’s a lot better for them, not being in the hallway with the older students,” Harrison said. “Teachers love it. Tardiness and discipline issues are down too.”

In fact, discipline referrals are down across the school, and Harrison credits the leadership team’s decision-making with these improvements. 

An ongoing focus at GMS is facilitating the transition between fifth and sixth grade. 

“It can be a rough transition,” Harrison admitted. “They’re coming into sixth grade from the elementary school, into a bigger school where they have more freedom, more frequent class changes, and they’re walking the halls without a teacher by their side every step. All of that on top of the fact that they’re going through other changes as well. So that’s why our biggest focus will continue to be helping them through this time and providing the things they need to be successful.”

Harrison said sixth-grade teachers have adapted instructional strategies that students are familiar with from elementary school, including learning centers and group work, to ease the transition to the middle-school environment.

In the end, Harrison believes it’s all about fostering good relationships with the students. At the semester’s first faculty meeting, he and the administrative team made that a central point of conversation. “We told teachers, let’s make sure the students know we love them and care about them, that we’re here for them,” he said. “If a child acts out, and the teacher or administrator has a good relationship with that child, it’s easier to talk to them, address the root of the problem, and fix it. It curbs discipline issues, and it just generally enhances individual student performance.”

Harrison shared a motto he uses every day — Inspect what you expect.

“If I ask students to stay to the right in the hallway, then I’m going to be in the hallways myself making sure it happens,” he said. “You can’t throw out expectations and just hope it gets done. Whatever my expectations are for everybody, we’re going to check up on it as an administrative team.”

The presence of all four administrators in the halls and classroom is an effective strategy, according to Harrison. “Among all of us, I’d say we visit every classroom in the building every day. And it’s so students can see us, they know we’re around. If a student needs to talk to us about something, they all get that opportunity.”

The three administrators working with Harrison on the team are assistant principal Angela Cooley, 6th grade principal Becky Bloodworth, and a new addition, Jason Matthews. 

Matthews recently retired as South Panola High School’s principal. Harrison said he moved that school to an A grade and came to Grenada to help following Whittemore’s retirement. “Everything that has come up in the past several weeks, he’s seen it at some point in his career,” he said. “Every piece of advice he’s given has helped. Having his experience and knowledge is extremely valuable.”

Harrison is a native of Jackson and graduated high school from Northwest Rankin in Brandon. He attended the University of Mississippi, where he earned his undergraduate degree and a master’s degree in educational leadership. His wife Keisha teaches at Grenada Elementary’s Red Top, and they have two children, David, a third grader, and Caroline, an eighth grader.