“I’ve known I wanted to work with kids since I was 15,” said Wilson, Grant’s newest vice principal. As a high school student at Roosevelt, he not only played basketball and ran track but was also a six-time Outdoor School counselor at camps Arrah Wanna and Howard. After graduating from University of Oregon, he immediately began his career as an educator by teaching fi fth, sixth, and seven grade at Tubman. Before coming to Grant, Wilson was at Roosevelt coaching cross country and track for 16 years and teaching health for 11.

“I love it here,” he said. “Grant has a huge tradition of being great in academics and great in sports. I want to keep that rich tradition going….Grant is completely different than where I was before.” Roosevelt is broken up into three “academies,” so Wilson dealt with 300 kids at most and knew all their names by Christmas. Here, the “sheer volume” of students can be daunting.

Wilson finds himself at home here among Grant’s administrators and teachers. “I can relate to the coaches, because I was one,” he said. “I can relate to the teachers as well. I can relate to anyone that puts kids first.” As for working with Principal Joseph Malone, Wilson has no complaints. “I knew of his reputation when I was a teacher and I was really excited to work with him. It’s great working with him because he lets us do our jobs.”

If there’s any advice Wilson has for Grant students, it’s to take high school seriously while you can. “[High school] is going to go by quick,” he cautioned. “You’ve got to take it seriously. Once you get out, you can’t go back.” It seems Wilson’s own vice principals in high school gave him a similar message.

“My vice principals and my principal would stop me in the hallway and ask me what I’m going to do with my life after high school. I liked that; it showed they cared. It’s something I try to do here at Grant,” Wilson said.

Wilson describes himself as taking his job very seriously, but not too seriously. You’ll find him patrolling the grounds at lunch, but you might also see him playing golf or basketball in the neighborhood. He can be intimidating as he towers over most of the students in the hallways, but if you stop to say hi you’ll discover how easy he is to talk to. Perhaps, you’ll find that he likes the same kind to music as you, or plays one of your favorite sports. He might also have some advice. “High school sets the foundation for the rest of your life,” said Wilson, and he is glad to have a hand in that.