New principal named at James R. Fitzharris High School
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By Laura Mead
WELLS - James R. Fitzharris High School in Wells will have a new principal in the fall. Darren Bray, an administrator, teacher and coach, hopes to bring his experiences into play at the school.
The position opened up when Principal Bill Warning accepted a position as K-12 principal at Rapid River Schools, taking Karen Lundquist's place after her retirement.
Delta-Schoolcraft Intermediate School District Superintendent Mike Koster, who met with Bray Wednesday to accompany him on his first visit to Fitzharris, said Bray's experiences and background make him a good choice for the position.
"We're very pleased we were able to find a quality person like Darren," said Koster. "We're looking forward to working with him."
For Bray, the position is both a challenge and a blessing.
"I thought it was a great opportunity for a professional challenge," he said. "Also, my family resides here."
Bray spent the 2007-08 school year serving as athletic director and assistant principal at Hart High School downstate, which meant being away from his family in Escanaba. On weekends Bray would take the six-hour journey back home to be with his two children and his wife, who was pregnant. Bray's wife, Jessica, a local attorney, recently gave birth to the couple's third child.
So when the job at Fitzharris became available, Bray said it was an opportunity too good to pass up.
"Now I'm officially back in Escanaba," Bray said.
Bray also has ties to the local academic community. Previous to working at Hart High School, Bray spent 14 years, from 1991 to 2005, at Gladstone Schools - 12 years as a computer-aided design instructor, football and girls varsity softball coach, including four years as head coach for both sports, and two years as industrial arts instructor at Gladstone Middle School.
During his career as a teacher and administrator, Bray often worked with at-risk students, experience he says will help him at Fitzharris.
Bray feels his years as a coach will also prove an important asset.
"It seems often that athletic coaches become administrators and I really think the two jobs parallel," he said. "As a coach you're instructing large groups of people, dealing with all kinds of situations, and working with students' parents and the community."
Bray received his master's in educational administration from Northern Michigan University in Marquette. He grew up in Iron River where he graduated from West Iron County High School.
