MONTAGUE — Stephen Gray has been in education for decades, and was most recently a teacher and social studies department chair in the Black River school district in Holland, but over the past few years he began giving stronger consideration to taking the next step up and becoming a principal.
He'll now have that opportunity after the Montague school district approved his hire as the new NBC Middle School principal at its June board meeting. Gray was out of town at the time of that meeting but was on hand for the meeting Monday.
"I got a degree in that and got some training and found that my skill sets and the things that I was good at really fit well with (being a principal)," Gray said. "I'm excited to continue to be a part of the education world, just in a little bit of a different role. Rather than teaching students every day, being able to help enhance the teachers in the classroom, support the teachers as well as the students. I'm really looking forward to building that team atmosphere at NBC and making some really great things happen."
Gray will replace Jim Perreault, who retired following the 2025-26 academic year. Montague superintendent Jeffrey Johnson said Perreault did a great job at Montague and the district went through three rounds of interviews before choosing Gray to fill his position. Gray met with other district administrators, leaders and staff over the course of that process.
Gray and his family are familiar with the area; Gray's wife is the former Becky Herin, from Shelby, and they have lived in the Spring Lake area for over 20 years. They have three grown children and four grandchildren, plus a fifth on the way.
Gray said the foundation set in place by Perreault was a solid one, and he is looking forward to helping continue the positive direction.
"I've heard lots of great things about NBC and the school culture there and the learning that happens there and the way that people work together," Gray said. "I've always liked being part of a team and doing a team (style of) leadership. I think I can add a lot to that and continue some of the great traditions that are there. Getting to know the student, letting them know that you know that people care about them. When people care about you, it makes the learning process a little easier."
It would be easy to look at Gray's being a first-time principal as a negative, or at least as a challenge to work through, but his recent experience in the classroom, Johnson said, gives him valued insight into how district decisions affect teachers and students. That perspective can be very helpful when teaming with administrators who have been out of the classroom for longer periods of time. Gray will also, Johnson said, be set up for success with leadership opportunities that should strengthen him in his new position.
"It's important for all us administrators to remember that, to think about what the decisions we make mean for the kids or the teachers in a classroom," Johnson said. "That's important, not just in the middle school, but in the district as well."
Gray described his leadership style as team-based and cited his work as department chair at Black River, which he said he traded back and forth for multi-year stints with another teacher. He hopes to collect ideas from many in the district in pursuit of maximizing what NBC can be.
"I think there's tons of great ideas out there," Gray said. "When you lead from that team atmosphere, you're a lot more likely to get more ideas, and I think the more ideas we have, you end up with a better product in the end. Maybe nobody's idea gets perfectly implemented, but hopefully by combining those things together, you get a better product.
"We're excited to be here and be part of the Montague team and help the educational environment here continue to grow."
