GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) – Today, Wayne Hill serves as principal of Brookside Elementary School, but his journey into education began in seventh grade when he had his first male teacher.
“I was like, man, this is pretty cool,” Hill remembered. “He’s very impactful.”
That experience inspired Hill to pursue a career in education, eventually becoming a middle school science teacher. Having attended Mulick Park Elementary School, he had a strong desire to return to Grand Rapids Public Schools.
“My passion was to come back to a district that I love and give back to them and just be a positive influence to the scholars that are here,” Hill said.
Now, as a principal, Hill works each day to show scholars that he cares about them and believes in their potential.
“I try to treat each kid like they're my own,” he said. “Building those relationships is the is the first thing to helping scholars achieve academic success.”
Hill says one of the keys to his success at Brookside is the strong team of educators he has the opportunity to work alongside each day.
“I have a lot of great teachers around me that that help me out,” he said. “We're doing the best to just continue to show the positive impact that GRPS can have on scholars, families and all stakeholders.”