If you have recently been to a Grove City High School event or came out to cheer on the Greyhounds, chances are you’ve seen the school’s newest principal, Tara Thompson.
As Grove City High School’s first new principal in nine years, and its third female principal in school history, Thompson is dedicated to creating a strong sense of connection with students, staff and the community.
A heart for education
Growing up in a small town outside of Sidney, Ohio, Thompson knew from an early age that she wanted to be an educator.
“I always wanted to be a teacher,” says Thompson. “In first grade, I had a book, and on the back, we had to do the ‘about the author’ and on that book I wrote I wanted to be a teacher.”
Ray LaVoie
She went on to earn her undergraduate degree in middle childhood education, focusing on science and math, from Bluffton University in 2009.
After graduating, Thompson moved to Texas, where she spent about six years teaching math. She then transitioned into an instructional role for curriculum and instruction for four years.
“When I first moved into that curriculum and instruction role, it was coaching other teachers. It was writing curriculum. It was really doing the thing that I had loved so much and being the expert of that,” says Thompson. “I really enjoyed sharing it with other people.”
She then was an assistant principal for two years before becoming an associate principal of curriculum and instruction, a role common in bigger schools in Texas.
During her time in Texas, Thompson went on to earn a master’s in curriculum and instruction from University of Houston in 2014 and later earned her principalship from Lamar University in 2018.
“I actually had a principal who said to me, ‘What is it that you want to do?’ I really wasn't sure. But, through his mentorship, he more or less convinced me that (becoming a principal was) what I wanted to do,” says Thompson. “And, then I went to the assistant principal role, and it just became clear that my goal was to be a principal.”
After living in Texas for 13 years, Thompson and her family moved back to Ohio. She spent two years as assistant principal at Berlin High School before joining the Grove City High School team.
Camaraderie and belonging
Thompson is passionate about continuing the Greyhounds’ sense of community and closeness.
Tara Thompson
“I love what a large school has to offer but I also remember the closeness that I had when I was in school, so I think that’s why culture is so important to me,” says Thompson.
On the first day of school, Thompson made it a priority to introduce herself to the students and set the tone for the year with a school-wide pep rally, encouraging staff to wear their Greyhound family t-shirts and inviting them to welcome the students with signs and pompoms.
Over the course of the school year, Thompson has been implementing initiatives to continue building community within the staff and students.
“One of the things that I've been working with the students on is kind of defining, ‘What does it mean to be a Greyhound,’” says Thompson. “I want them to feel like they belong… like if they're a Greyhound, that's something to be proud of, it's something to identify with and it's something that connects all of the students and the staff in the building.”
Tara Thompson
One such initiative Thompson has started is Tailgating Teachers, which encourages staff to attend the schools’ events together. More than 65 teachers signed up, with about 25 teachers attending each event. On days of events, teachers wear their matching shirts to school, and Thompson says students get excited seeing the shirts and ask where they’ll be that night.
Thompson has also worked to make the building itself feel like a home. She helped create the Greyhound Family graduates’ wall, which includes photos of staff and their children who have attended Grove City High School. She has also hung posters of current students through the halls.
“When families come in, they can see their children on the walls because this is their home too. They spend more time here than they do sometimes their own houses, especially when they’re involved,” Thompson says.
Another initiative Thompson has implemented involving the staff is the Golden Greyhound, a gold greyhound statue given to a chosen staff member each Friday in recognition of them going above and beyond. The staff member is surprised with the statue by the office staff marching into their room and the students cheering to “Gonna Fly Now.” The staff member gets to display the trophy in their room for that week.
Outside of school
Even after the school day is done, Thompson makes a point to attend at least two to three Grove City High School events each week.
“Returning from out of state and (being) new to Grove City High School, a lot of my involvement right now is with Grove City High School, whether it’s watching the band or a game,” says Thompson.
When she is not at school or attending events, Thompson spends her time with: her husband, Jonathan, and their 11-year-old daughter, Quinn.
Baking and cooking are favorite pastimes for her family. They love to bake seasonal cookies and pies. Recently, they learned how to make pasta from scratch, making a variety of types such as ravioli, tortellini and bowtie.
Some of their other family hobbies include singing karaoke, playing board games and crocheting. Thompson jokes they are a competitive family but also love to have fun.
Traveling is another major part of their lives, often during school breaks. As a family, they have traveled to more than seven countries.
Korrigan Craddock is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
