Former Clark teacher Gaye Holt returns as school principal

New Clark Elementary Principal Gaye Holt is returning to familiar surroundings on the Wood Sage Drive campus.

"I'm coming back home," Holt said recently, referring to the three years she taught at Clark a decade ago.

On June 14, the Hillsborough County School Board appointed Holt as principal at Clark. She has spent the past five years as assistant principal at Jackson Elementary in Plant City.

Clark administrators and staff members were in attendance for the official announcement and to welcome Holt on board.

"There was quite a few of them there," Holt said of the Clark group. "It was quite a warm welcome."

Well-wishes have continued to stream in from Clark parents and teachers and Holt's friends and colleagues, she said.

Although July 1 marked Holt's first official day at Clark, she spent several days on campus the week prior working with outgoing principal, Brenda Griffin, to insure a smooth transition.

Griffin is retiring after a 38 1/2 -year career at the Hillsborough County school district. She spent the past five years at Clark, leading a school with an untarnished record of earning straight A's on the state's annual report card.

"When I learned Ms. Griffin was retiring, I knew this was where I wanted to go," said Holt, who lives in Lakeland with her husband, Reginald, the president of Farm Credit of Central Florida.

Holt, a mother of four, brings 28 years of education experience to the 12-year-old school.

Her first job in education was as a teacher in Jacksonville. When Holt moved to Tampa, she became a teacher at Mort Elementary on Bearss Avenue then moved on to Sulphur Springs Elementary. Holt joined the teaching staff at Clark in 1999, its second year in existence.

In 2002, she accepted a district-level job, serving as a resource teacher for the Teaching American History grant, a post she held for four years. She was appointed to serve as assistant principal at Jackson Elementary in 2006.

Clark's culture of excellence will remain intact, said Holt, 53.

She credited the three principals who have led Clark since its inception with establishing "a vision of excellence" that will serve as her guidepost moving forward.

"I know there is a high level of expectation," Holt said.

Clark and Jackson earned A grades on the state's school report card in 2009-10. However, for 2010-11, Clark earned an A while Jackson slipped to a C.

With a student population of about 850 annually, Clark will retain most teachers and support staffers this fall. In addition to Griffin's departure, only one teacher is not expected back.

"It will be an A school," Holt said of Clark. "The teachers and staff are excellent. I already know that because I worked with some of them."