GHHS prepares to enter a new era as we welcome the future of our school with the arrival of Bob Marshal, the soon-to-be principal. Bob Marshal is a person who, for the past 38 years of his life, has been deeply immersed in the world of education administration. For the majority of his professional life, Mr. Marshal has played a pivotal role in the education system, spending 22 of those years in administration and overseeing school direction. “I taught for six years and then 16 years as an assistant principal or principal. I taught one year in this district. I taught at Peninsula High School in 2008-2009. That was my last year of teaching, and then I moved to Alaska to be an administrator up there,” Marshal said of his experience.
Mr. Marshal’s story in the education field dates back to his years as a high school social studies teacher, where he brought his passion for history to the classroom. “I just love telling stories, and so it was fun to be able to share the stories of our history, and I specifically tell a lot of US history. US history was exciting for me, especially as a kid who was born into an Air Force family; my dad moved around a lot, and so as we moved, he always made sure that we got to see all the history in the place that we were living,” Mr. Marshal said of his immersion in history as a kid, which led to a love of learning about and exploring the intricacies of the past. Being in the game for years, one thing led to another, and ever passionate, the career took Marshal in a new direction as he became involved in a more administrative side of education. Mr. Marshall is currently the principal at North Kitsap High School out in Poulsbo, where he has been involved with the school for the past six years in the position of vice principal before taking up principal this past year.
The news of Mrs. Suiter stepping down first came to Mr. Marshal through Parent Square, and there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that this position was something he wanted. “I live in Gig Harbor, and so I’ve always wanted to come back to this district because it would be nice to be close to home and be close to my kids, close to my family, close to everything that I do here… And when the job opened up, I applied right away and was able to get an interview, and the rest is history,” said Marshall, all smiles. Deeply involved in the Gig Harbor community, and with the drive to Poulsbo being approximately 41 minutes to and from his home, Marshal didn’t hesitate for a second to grab the opportunity. Mr. Marshal describes GHHS as a school with a great reputation, expressing that he feels like he could be a good leader at this time. As someone who has a wealth of experience in the field, Marshal has always highlighted the importance of relationships in a school setting. “I just think relationships are so important, so everything that I do is kind of centered around making those relationships with students, with staff, with community, with anybody who will stop and talk,” said Marshal, whose favorite thing about being a principal has been the connections he’s made and the communities he’s built on them. “I think the most exciting thing for me is getting to know everybody, like I really want to get to know the staff, I really want to get to know the students, kind of see how Gig Harbor runs, and then figure out how we can make sure this is a school where everybody wants to be and that they belong.”
The future of a school is fueled by the passion and investment of its community, and Bob Marshal has a lot of ambition for the future community of the school. “I hope that we can raise our [excitement] for the school and that students want to be here and that we can raise belonging. I use that word a lot because I think it’s so important that students show up every day feeling like this is a school that they belong to and that they know people here and they feel connected to people here. That way they can focus on their education, because I feel like a lot of students struggle with doing their classes because they don’t feel like they have anybody they connect with,” said Mr. Marshall. A principal is the face and voice of a school community, and bursting with charisma and passion, Mr. Marshal is one that will project total commitment to our school’s success and investment in a sense of belonging. Abundantly excited to be here, Marshall comes prepared to make GHHS’s future one that is vivid with relationships and excitement, and as we welcome him, we welcome these things and more in the years to come. His only regret is having to wait until July 1st to get started.