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Once An Eagle, Always Soaring Like An Eagle

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By DEREK MAUL

Tribune correspondent

Published: September 3, 2008

BRANDON - Brandon High School principal Leslie Smith Granich enjoys the rare privilege of longevity. She has been in "The Eagle's Nest" since 1990.

"I've been teacher, department head, ESE exceptional student education specialist, assistant principal for student affairs, assistant principal for curriculum and now principal since 2006," she said. "I'm blessed to be right here."

With a student population exceeding 2,300, 144 teachers and a combined staff of 215, Granich leads a busy campus.

"It's a great bunch of people," she said. "Our theme this year is Together We Will Soar. Working as a team - it's what we do best."
Granich touts the district's new AVID program Advancement Via Individual Determination, an initiative designed to boost students failing to reach their learning potential.

"AVID targets students in the middle and drives them forward," she said. "It's about belief, expectations and support. More kids have the potential to go to college, and we want to provide that opportunity."
Granich carries a unique perspective to the job thanks to her background in exceptional student education. "I look at the whole person - all the pieces," she said. "I listen more, and I bring that into account."

Her career started in 1985 at the old West Tampa Junior High School.

She went on to teach students with learning disabilities at Horace Mann Middle School before floating between Brandon High and Armwood in 1990. She's been a Brandon Eagle ever since.

"There's this great feeling of family and pride and tradition here," she said. "I love working with kids. To be here and to be involved - it keeps you young."

A native of Dublin, Ohio, Granich attended the University of South Florida as a dance major in 1981. "I came to Florida looking for warmth," she said.

Education sparked her interest, and she earned her bachelor's in education in 1985. She earned a master's in educational leadership at USF in 1995.

"I got involved in administration because I'm one of those people who have that innate feeling they need to jump in with two feet and make things happen," she said. "I can't just sit back. My ultimate motivation is doing it right, making things run as smoothly as possible."

She also loves the Brandon community. "I grew up in a small town. Mom was an antique dealer, and dad was a contractor. Dad called us his eaglets. In a way, this school was home even before I got here.

"Brandon is bigger, but we have the same small, community feel. There's no place you can go and not be recognized. So many people who went to Brandon High School are still here. It's that pride and tradition.

"We still see ourselves as the community school," she said. "This place is packed, even on a Saturday; there's always something. People walking the track, playing football on the fields - this is the community; the campus is their home as well."
Granich loves the outdoors but doesn't have much time to play. She enjoys running, working out, spending time with friends, visiting the beach and reading.

One big challenge is finding time to be with her husband, Frank.

"Sometimes the only way to see me is to come to a Brandon High sporting event," she said. "I'd love to have more people come to games, events and concerts. Come on out - that's what I want to see."

Being Brandon's principal, Granich said, makes her optimistic. "I think our kids are wonderful. They're young and energetic; the sky's the limit."

MEET LESLIE SMITH GRANICH
Principal, Brandon High School
BORN: Dublin, Ohio, 1963

MOVED TO FLORIDA: 1981

EDUCATION: University of South Florida, bachelor of education, 1985; master's, 1995

MOVED TO BRANDON: 1987

MARRIED: Frank Granich, 1993

MEMBER: Brandon Rotary Club, St. Marks United Church of Christ

CALL: (813) 744-8120

Derek Maul can be reached at derekmaul@gmail.com.

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