Stacey Grayson has been in education for years, from teaching health and dance to administration. This year Grayson is the new ninth grade assistant principal, and the first person to be featured in the JHS Journal’s new Humans of Jordan High series.

Interview has been edited for clarity

Where did you grow up, and what did your childhood look like? 

Starting out, my parents lived in Pasadena, but my parents divorced, so my mom [and I] moved to Richmond, Texas. That’s where I went to school. I went to BF Terry High School. Graduated in the millennia, right there in 2000, I was the cool class. No, I’m kidding. So [I] graduated from Terry High School, growing up, I was involved in dance, gymnastics, tumbling, baton, pom pom, you name it, that was what my childhood was. So I competed all through elementary, junior high. When I got to high school, I did drill team, but I was also a competitive cheerleader outside of high school. So that was my childhood, pretty much growing up dancing. We also did a lot of outdoor activities. We went camping, we went hunting, fishing, boating — we were just outdoorsy people. 

When and why did you decide to go into education? 

I really just enjoy seeing students that, I call it the “light bulb” moment, they’ve been working for something for so long, and then all of a sudden, boom, a light goes off, and they get it. And may that be in dance, because I was a dance teacher, working on a movement or choreography or a step or a skill, and they got it. But same thing for kids in the classroom; they’re working on a concept, and all of a sudden it makes sense. So just really seeing that light bulb moment go off, and seeing students grow to their potential, knowing their worth and what they can reach.

So what jobs did you have prior to this? I know you mentioned dance teacher, anything else maybe not in education? 

I was a dance teacher since ’06 at some of the high schools. I also taught health because they were new schools, so I started George Ranch High School and Cypress Park High School, both as the dance director, but also taught health. When I was at Cypress Park, the school opened in 2016 so I was the first dance director. So after five years, I moved into administration at the same school. So other jobs, I did bookkeeping, accounting. I took two years off when my daughter was little, and I did bookkeeping work, accounting work. My mom’s an accountant, so I helped her with the financial part of that. I coached in high school. When I was in college, I did work study, so I worked for the dean of Applied Sciences, just helping students answering questions. I had a very short stint working at Oshman’s as a cashier, and I hated it, so I didn’t stay there very long, but outside of that, that’s about it. Oh, I am an instructor, a group fitness instructor, currently, I teach group fitness HIIT classes. 

So what made you choose JHS specifically? 

So, just in  all the research that I’ve done both you know, viewing Jordan’s aspects online, [and] talking to people in the community. I know several people who have students that go here. [In] everything that I read, Jordan excels. Academically, Jordan excels in extracurriculars, and I want it to be a part of a campus that is new and still growing, but also is excelling at what they do. So Jordan [is] a great fit. 

What are your hopes for this year?

My hopes for this year [are]: To get to know the students, get to know the staff. I would like to increase school spirit here. I know y’all are spirited, because I can see it in the hallways, but really just dive in and build the relationships and be a part of all aspects of Jordan. And I want to see how it operates. 

Is there a specific way you want to increase school spirit, or you want to get to know a specific activity or something?

Not specifically. I want to get involved with all organizations. So may it be an organization or a club just going in and seeing what everyone’s about, encouraging students to show up at the games, the activities, wearing our spirit, where you know how whatever we can do to be a part of the community and have the community be a part of Jordan High School, 

What do you think will be the biggest challenges for students, staff, administrators? What do you think will be the biggest challenges this year for everyone here at Jordan? 

I’m not sure if it’s a challenge, but I think an adjustment this year is probably what is, what is expected, the adjustment to utilizing the Chromebooks, the adjustment to our telecommunication policy. But just in the two weeks that we’ve been here at school, I think it’s going well. I think kids are adapting to the telephone, not using it. Actually, I think more kids are probably, even though they may not admit it, they’re probably like, okay, cool, I’m not getting notifications. I can really focus on my schoolwork. So I think it’s a positive benefit for kids. 

My last question is, If you could say one thing to the entire student body and they would all hear and they would all listen to it, what would it be?

So I am not the owner of this. I will just say this. Somebody told me this a long time ago, and it resonated with me: It’s something that I tell my daughter all the time. But what you do now determines your next. So focus on the now, but know that it impacts your next. Your “now” determines your “next”. I’ve kind of adapted it, but that, but it always resonated with me. What you do now determines your next — may that be academically, behaviorally, all the things.