Gary Graham has the spirit of a cougar in his blood.
As part of the original staff of Durant High School, back in 1995 he helped plant the seeds to shape the legacy of the school. Now he’s at its helm following the retirement of longtime principal Pam Bowden.
Many parents of the current Durant students remember Graham as the dedicated baseball coach that was always on campus with a smile and a straight-forward attitude. In fact, a stand made out of Louisville Sluggers is in his office, proudly displaying his passion for the sport to all who enter. After leaving Durant, he taught at other schools for several years but returned in 2014. He said he was proud to serve under Bowden’s leadership and to continue the traditions that were started all those years ago.
“Here at Durant, we’ve always been focused on supporting our students so they have every opportunity possible to pursue their dreams,” Graham said. “My vision this year is to inspire a passion for learning in our students. Obviously some of the kids that come in need extra opportunities, whether it’s to read more books, learn a new language or develop a skill they can carry over into a career after graduation. We also want to support those high achieving students that are looking for new ways to push and grow themselves. Our community at Durant is reflective of the Plant City community. It’s supportive, it’s full of respectful students and we have a staff that goes above and beyond for these students.”
Graham said respect is a major philosophy at Durant. Administration respects the staff, staff respects the students and students respect not only each other, but those in positions of leadership at their school. Everyone is on the same level and that creates a supportive family atmosphere Graham said pushes everyone to excel.
When freshmen walk through the doors of Durant for the first time, Graham said they’re reminded of the fact that it’s time to start thinking about the future. Planning is a major key to success and while no two students will fit the same mold, Graham said, all of the teachers and faculty work hard to encourage them to find their passions and work toward their goals.
“I’m the fifth principal here and I’ve known the prior four very well,” Graham said. “When the school opened we were led by a man (Ron Frost) that walked in with such a passion for this school every single day, despite the fact that he was battling cancer. He eventually succumbed to leukemia, but his legacy lives on here at Durant. He taught us all to be better people and we carry his passion with us every day.”
While reflecting on the lessons he’s learned over the years, Graham shared several stories of Bowden’s infectious energy and no-nonsense attitude, the friendships he’s developed with staff and former students, who grew up into “outstanding citizens,” and the sorrow the entire Cougar family feels when they lose a student too soon.
It’s the culture at Durant, the tug-and-pull you only find in a true family, that makes it such a great place to work and learn. Over the summer, many on the faculty take part in a book club together. Motioning toward the lobby, which lays right behind a wall to his office, Graham smiled as he shared stories of the “Front Porch,” where some of the clerical staff sit in the mornings in the rocking chairs in the office and share stories about everyone they know and spread the news of what’s going on around town.
“When I look at a picture of me at 22 years old with the charter staff here — I just never would have thought I’d be sitting in this chair — I have to pinch myself sometimes if I think too much about it,” Graham said.
Graham’s daughter is now a student at Durant as well, and he said next year his son will walk the halls of the campus. His family is his world and he said he enjoys nothing more than spending his free time with them. In fact, he met his wife at Durant all those yeas ago. He was walking the halls and she was picking up her niece from the daycare on campus when they first met.
Graham is a bit of a traditionalist, valuing honesty and dedication above nearly all else. In the simple, he can often find the most profound. He and his son frequently watch the Andy Griffith Show and he joked that while the message may be simple, its one he strives to learn from and live by. Around campus he’s known for three things: his honesty, his dependability and, because this is a high school after all, his height.
It’s a new era at Durant and Graham said he hopes to further the great work of those who came before him while sticking strong to key Cougar traditions.