The retirement of one longtime principal will result in new leaders at two Columbus schools next fall.
Randy Gratz, principal at Central Middle School since 2003, will retire as of the end of the school year.
Gratz, 64, said he has enjoyed working alongside students during the past 14 years — seeing them develop academically and socially. When he retires effective June 30, it will be after spending 40 years in the field of education.
“I get fired up when I work with kids,” Gratz said.
He was involved in the initial planning and design process in developing the new Central Middle School, one of his biggest assignments.
Besides the day-to-day experiences of working when students and fellow staffers in Columbus, his BCSC career also has given Gratz some international perspective about learning. He was selected in 2006 as a Miyoshi education ambassador that allowed him to travel overseas under the longtime partnership between BCSC and the Miyoshi school district in Japan. Columbus and Miyoshi are sister cities.
Two years later, Gratz was one of 400 school administrators from across the country who were chosen to travel to Beijing, China.
“Just seeing some of the similarities was probably one of the great things I’ve ever seen,” he said. “It’s so great to be immersed in another country.”
However, he said one of the memorable highlights of his job has been judging senior projects at Columbus East High School. That assignment has allowed Gratz to catch up with former Central students.
“That’s been a really rewarding thing for me,” he said.
For more on this story, see Friday’s Republic.
