By: Mei Nathan, Jared Steckl, and Chase Kleber

Grady Principal Timothy Guiney left effective, Sept. 9, to become Assistant Superintendent in Clayton County Public Schools. After two years of committed work, Guiney has had a profound impact on Grady.

“Even though two years and two months may not seem like a long time, a lot has happened,” Guiney said. “I could not have imagined all the experiences I packed into this amount of time. It has been such a rewarding experience and really an absolute pleasure.’’

District-level administrators and school board members expressed gratitude for Guiney’s work at Grady and support for his opportunity to advance his career.

“While we are all disappointed that Mr. Guiney is leaving Grady after two years as principal, we are excited that he leaves for even greater opportunities and responsibilities with Clayton County Schools,” Dan Sims, associate superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools, said.

Dr. Betsy Bockman, principal at Inman Middle School, begins as interim principal, Monday, Sept. 12, and will serve in that role for the remainder of the school year. Emily Boatright, assistant principal at Inman, will become interim principal there to fill Dr. Bockman’s position.

“Dr. Bockman is a highly-experienced principal who understands the needs of the Grady Cluster, and I am confident she will ensure a seamless transition,” Sims said.  

Matt Westmoreland, the District 3 representative on the Atlanta Board of Education, shared similar sentiments about his confidence in Dr. Bockman.

“She’s a phenomenal principal,” Westmoreland said. “She’s respected by parents and staff at every school she’s been at, she’s a strong leader for the school, and I know that she will continue to lead Grady well for the remainder of the year.”

Guiney’s announcement came as a surprise to many staff members. Paul Nicolson, supervisor of Grady’s print shop and yearbook co-adviser, was looking forward to a longer relationship.

“I was waiting to enjoy where he was taking this ship we call Grady,” Nicolson said. “Guiney came in during rough waters and calmed everybody’s fears through action. In the leadership role and being able to see us through the controversies and climate of change with the new superintendent and directives.”

Guiney took over after the school was rocked by an investigation into allegations of out-of-district athletes on the football team and other negative media coverage, including an incident in which a student brought a gun to campus and accidentally shot herself. His permanent replacement will be charged with guiding the school through an expansion with a new building to be constructed as enrollment continues to climb. Voters approved a special local option sales tax this spring to fund district building projects, including Grady’s new building to replace portable classrooms near the gym.

“I definitely knew coming in that this was going to be a new challenge for me,” said Guiney. “But I had a group of very experienced assistant principals, staff members, and community leaders that were more than willing to help.”

He began his tenure at Grady during the 2014-2015 school year, replacing Dr. Vincent Murray, who had served as Grady’s principal for 23 years.

“I will always be able to say that I’m really proud to have been the Grady High School principal because it will, regardless of where I go from here or my future, be one of the most meaningful formative experiences I have had,” Guiney said.

Mary Van Atta, AP European and US History teacher, believes Guiney was successful in carving his own legacy.

“Mr. Guiney has managed to follow a principal who had been here for so many years and establish his own way of doing things but also navigate the different groups, whether its faculty, parents, district, students,” Van Atta said. “He has continued a sense of excellence at Grady.”

In the spring, the search for a new principal will begin. According to Westmoreland, the interview process that Guiney went through has been adjusted to involve the community more.

“The process has become a little more robust,” Westmoreland said. “Since [Guiney’s application process], we’ve grown the process a little bit. It starts with engaging parents and staff about what they’re looking for in a school leader and then that feedback is used to create a job profile on the website.”

Once applicants apply through the website, there are screening processes in order to meet the candidates, and eventually the information is sent to the superintendent to make a decision.

Grady parents agree that the application process should be adjusted from when Guiney was hired, to account for Grady’s shifting needs.

“Grady is at a very different place than we were three years ago,” Sharon Bray, Grady parent and local school council president, said. “Three years ago we were really working on that transition out of the academies and back into one school. Since then we have transitioned from [End of Course Tests] to Milestones (which replaced End of Course Tests) and this new [school] ranking system and all of that, so I think that’s going to be important going forward just to navigate those changes and other changes.”

Members across the community appreciate the work that Guiney has done for this school and are saddened to see him go.

“The past couple of years he has run a good ship,” said art teacher John Brandhorst, who served on the committee two years ago that recommended Guiney as principal. “He managed to do it with great rationality. I’m very sorry to see him go. I hope the transition to Dr. Bockman will be a smooth one. She knows the Grady community very well, and [the community] knows her.”

Westmoreland agreed that Guiney fit in well with Grady and had an incredible impact.

“I appreciate all the progress the school has made under his leadership,” Westmoreland said. “I know every parent and staff member speaks very highly of him, and I’m grateful for his service to APS and the kids.”

Guiney began his career as a language arts teacher at Morrow High School in 2002.

“Once I got out in the business world, I realized that I really had a passion for literature and language, and I also felt like I had a passion for helping kids,” Guiney said in a previous interview with the Southerner. “I thought teaching would be a good fit so I actually went back [to school].”

Guiney previously served as principal of Adamson Middle School, in Clayton County, for four years. In 2013-2014, Guiney won “Principal of the Year’’ for Clayton County Schools. The next year he moved to replace former Grady Principal, Vincent Murray.

“Being a principal of a middle school was very hard,” said Guiney. “I was looking to do something different from [what] I had done on the middle school level and an opportunity to be challenged.”

Students said Guiney made an impact. Some who attended Inman remember Dr. Bockman as enforcing strict rules, particularly dress code.

“I feel like Guiney’s been here for a while and everything’s been pretty stable,” said junior Graham Williams, who also attended Inman.“I feel like [the transition to Dr. Bockman] will be a little rough at first, but it will be fine. I think she runs school pretty tightly from what I’ve seen at Inman when I was there. All I’m saying is that I don’t want to tuck in my shirt.”

Dr. Bockman, who will begin as interim principal Sept. 12, has also previously worked at Morningside Elementary and Coan Middle. Her involvement and familiarity with the Grady cluster will be an advantage to her in the upcoming year.

“Her involvement and familiarity with the Grady cluster will be an advantage to her in the upcoming year,” Bray said. “During the past two years I’ve watched Dr. Bockman and Mr. Guiney work together, so I’ve observed the strong working relationship that they’ve forged and so I think because of that Dr. Bockman has a better idea of what’s going on at Grady.”

Guiney is also confident that the school will be left in good hands with Dr. Bockman.

“I’m fully in support of this decision,” Guiney said. “I think Dr. Bockman is outstanding, and we have worked really close together in these past two years. She is very adept, hard working and really good at increasing student achievement. It wasn’t my choice, but with her skill set and the timing that we had, I think it is the right move.”