Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship for The Winooski News
WINOOKSI – For over a decade, Winooski Middle and High School Co-Principal Kate Grodin has made it her goal to foster an inclusive and supportive learning environment.
Working alongside Co-Principal Jean Berthiaume, she said they have made efforts to maintain a strong community while guiding students through both academic and personal growth. She hopes that her leadership shapes the school’s diverse community and that every student feels seen and prepared for the future.
Q. What originally drew you to education?
A. I think that I’ve always really enjoyed working with people who are younger than me.
When I was a teenager, it was little kids. And then in my 20s, it was teenagers. And when I was a college student, I didn’t know what I was gonna do, and a friend of mine was like, “You should look into Teach for America. I think it could be such a good fit for you.”
Q. Are there any moments that made you realize, “Oh, yeah. I’m going to do this?”
A. I think that education is the best career. I think it is a combination of being really fun and sometimes humorous with students. It’s also really powerful and meaningful.
It’s also a really interesting work, too. I find it to be intellectually just an extremely engaging job. And every day, week, month and year is different, and I love that novelty.
Q. What made you choose Winooski?
A. I was attracted to urban and diverse communities. And when Winooski was looking for an assistant principal in 2013, I threw my hat into the ring and have been a part of the community ever since.
Q. How have you seen recent national politics impact the school and community?
A. I think that since COVID and since the murder of George Floyd, we’ve just had a lot more open, explicit conversations about race.
We’ve had a lot of trying, specific issues here in Winooski with our boys’ soccer team and some other particular issues that we’ve experienced that we’ve tried to learn from and move forward with.
And it’s hard. I mean, we have strong values here as a community and a strong practice of supporting our students. And we will continue to do that.
Q. There’s been a lot of unrest and debate in school systems across the country. Have you felt that locally?
A. Yeah. I think school budgets, funding, consolidation— these are all challenges that we know are being grappled with and will have a direct impact on the way our school runs and operates.
Q. Have you noticed the community coming together in particular ways during difficult times?
A. There have been a lot of examples.
I mean, we went through the pandemic, and our families were incredibly supportive of all the things that we did.
The sanctuary schools policy and procedure work that went through last spring is also evidence of how our school board and community came together to really articulate what we’re going to do to support some vulnerable students and community members.
Q. How do you balance being a principal and also a mom?
It’s hard.
My husband and I have tried to create a real geographic proximity to (our jobs) so that we can do what we need to do.
We had a nanny for a long time who was absolutely phenomenal and would not have been able to do it without her help. I feel really blessed to work in a field that also supports healthy kids and healthy families.
Teachers and administrators are just parents, too. So they get it.
Q. What do you hope students take away from their time at Winooski schools?
A. I hope that they feel that Winooski has prepared them for whatever. I hope that we prepared them to make good decisions about what they want to do next.
I want students to feel like we were able to support and influence their growth so that they could have the right choices available for them when they’re done.
Q. Have you had a favorite memory with students this year?
A. I just cherish the really authentic moments I have with kids and young people, whether it’s them coming to me to share either a success or a concern that they have, (or) whether it’s at the school dance, and we’re all dancing together and doing something really funny or silly.