b'MEET TRACIE CATLETT,What do you love about GDS? What I love about GDS is that it finds that balance between the joy of learning and rigor. GREENSBORO DAYFocusing on learning but doing it in a happy and joyful way is important to me SCHOOLS SEVENTHand that really excites me about coming to GDS. HEAD OF SCHOOL What do you see as the biggest What most interested you in GDS beforeopportunities and challenges? The you accepted the position? opportunities coming down the pipeline What interested me the most about GDSand the challenges have to do with washands downthe community. I justenrollment. Its about taking the market felt the dedication, the love, the longevityshare and getting the word out and telling of the faculty. Many people here expressthe GDS story out into the community. I themselves in terms of their love for thelook forward to doing that work.school. It was all very impressive to hearWhat are your thoughts on GDSs from the stakeholders about their love and50th anniversary? The 50th anniversary dedication to GDS.coming up is very exciting. Its an The second thing would be the mission.amazing accomplishment; its an amazing GDS is focused not just on academics butexperience. It is about looking backward the whole child and their character, whichbut also looking forward, celebrating the is so important. And, when I was herehistory of the school, retired faculty, parents during my visit, I really felt the missionand alums, and then moving forward with alive in every place that I visitedwhetherthinking about what the school looks it was the Bengal Cafe or the classroomslike for the grandchildren of the current or the theater. The smiles on the studentsstudents and the alums. Its celebrating all faces and just living the mission felt great.the accomplishments that have taken placewhether it be in the classroom, on the How would you describe your leadershipcourt, on the field, in the theater, on the style? Important tasks for me as a headstage. Im excited about moving the school of school would be starting the morningforward and celebrating its 50 years. greeting at carpool. Saying hello to theMeet the Catlett family. Tracie and her students; hello to the parents. Makinghusband, Mark, have four sons, John, Jack, sure Im visible and making sure ImWill, and Hank. A 7-year-old dog named approachable during the school day forCharlie rounds out the Catlett family. when teachers might need something, or a parent might need something. Availability and visibility are important to me. Why did you choose education as a career? I chose education as a career when I was in banking. I was a financial analyst for a bank based out of North Carolina and spent Fridays volunteering at a local independent school, teaching economics for Junior Achievement. Those days brought a spark to me and it was important that I followed my heart. So, I transitioned from being a banker to becoming a math teacher in a large public-school system. GDS Magazine | 7'