Special to The Truth
On Thursday, May 16, 2024, an educational legend received a formal send-off
for her role as the beloved principal of the Old West End Academy (OWEA), a
TPS magnet school that offers K-8 Spanish and has been a leader within the
district for its high achievements on the Ohio state achievement tests for
many years.
On May 16, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., the OWEA family hosted a community open house for Kathy Gregory in its school cafeteria where well-wishers, such as former
adult graduates, retired and current administrators, educators and
employees, as well as her friends and family came to celebrate and
say goodbye to this proven leader of excellence.
Gregory will be relocating out of Toledo once she formally retires in June.
“She’s the best principal I’ve ever worked under,” said Donna Reamey, OWEA
Spanish teacher. “I’m truly going to miss her.”
The principal of Glenwood Elementary, Michael Carr, EdD, wrote in a tribute
to Gregory, “Your unwavering dedication to academic excellence, your
calm and confident demeanor, and your impeccable sense of style have all
set you apart as a true role model for so many of us in the education
field.”
“Your leadership has helped to shape the careers of countless educators who
now follow in your footsteps, and your kind and supportive nature has made
you a friend, confidant, and mentor to so many,” he added.
Kathy Gregory began her educational career nearly 44 years ago as a teacher
at Spencer Sharples School, where she taught various grade levels. Ten
years later, she assumed the role of assistant principal at Glenwood
Elementary School and remained in that position for a year and a half
before she was named the principal of Cherry Elementary School, which is
currently known as Rosa Parks Elementary.
“I enjoyed Cherry Elementary and planned to stay until my retirement,”
Gregory wrote in her autobiographical sketch. “However, after 12 years
there, I was asked to apply to Old West End Academy, a newly formed
elementary school.”
“With mixed emotions, I accepted the challenge and with a team of teachers
and administrators, developed its policies and procedures,” she wrote.
During her time at Old West End Academy, Kathy Gregory received the
“Principal of the Year Award from JP Associates for her leadership in
Direct Instruction. — Currently, OWEA is the only school within the Scott
High School feeder system that still uses Direct Instruction to teach all
students in grades K-5. Gregory credits OWEA’s high OST scores to
using this form of teaching reading to its students. “It has made a
remarkable difference in teaching our babies to read,” she said.
Gregory also received a recognition certificate and plaque from the
Perry Burroughs Democratic Women’s Club, as well as, a recognition award
and plaque from Jack and Jill, Incorporated, for her leadership and service
to children. Recently, she received a Legacy Award from TutorSmart, our
newest tutoring program.
After four years at Old West End Academy, Gregory embarked upon another
journey in her quest to serve young people. She took a position as an
Instructional Planning Consultant at the Board of Education for eight
years. This position taught her a lot about the Effective School Movement
and the Ohio Improvement Process which is a process to improve school
performance.
Gregory retired her first time from TPS in 2011, but she returned to
TPS as an assistant principal at Harvard School for one year and a few long
term subbing positions.
In 2015, when she received a phone call from the Superintendent of TPS,
Romulus Durant, EdD, to return to OWEA, she said, “it was truly a dream come
true.” Nine years later, Gregory is leaving her beloved school for
the final time.
Last year, under Gregory’s leadership, OWEA received four stars for
its 23.79 percent growth in improvement on the Ohio State Tests, which was the highest in the district. For this growth, OWEA also received a “Momentum
Award 2023” from The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce for
achieving “significant improvement in growth and achievement on the Ohio
School Report Cards for the 2022-2023 school year,” the award certificate
states.