Watkins Mill High School assistant principal Ryan Graves will leave at the end of this school year to become principal intern at Poolesville High School for the 2023-24 school year after five years at the Mill.

“I’m sad to leave because this is home,” Graves said. “But at the same time, [I’m] excited about a new opportunity.”

Principal interns learn the responsibilities and realities of principalship by shadowing one. The internship includes a six-week period, called a ‘practicum’ where Graves “takes over” as principal while current Poolesville principal Mark Carothers temporarily assumes a different role within Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).

While the Watkins Mill community will miss Graves deeply, his announcement has only been met with genuine excitement. “I’m happy for him,” WMHS principal Carol Goddard said. “He’ll do a wonderful job. He’s ready for the next big step—to get a school of his own.”

When Middle Years Programme (MYP) coordinator Richard Courtot III heard about Graves’ transition, “I was thrilled for him. Definitely very excited. But the next step for him is going to take him to Poolesville, and then hopefully he’ll have his own school in the very near future after that.”

“I’ve enjoyed my time here. I’ve always felt welcome from day one,” Graves added. “Even though I’ve announced that next year I’ll be moving on, it’s been nothing but ‘congratulations,’ and ‘I’m happy for you,’… it’s all been positive.”

In 2005, Graves’ career in education began when he graduated from Frostburg University and actually worked as the wrestling coach for Poolesville High School.

Graves continued his journey as an educator, working for five different elementary schools as a Physical Education (PE) teacher, before returning to school himself, this time in a three-year program at Hood College, to earn his master’s degree in administration.  “I had mentors telling me that ‘when you consider getting a master’s, consider administration,'” Graves said.

Using his degree, his next role saw him become the Assistant School Administrator (ASA) at Newport Mill Middle School in 2014. “I chose the route of [ASA] to springboard out of the classroom into an administrative level,” Graves said.

Graves was appointed assistant principal at WMHS in 2018, and as of today, he sees a balance within his career in education. “It’s really interesting the way that it’s worked out, nine years as a teacher and nine years as an assistant principal,” Graves said.

However, Graves does still miss his time as a PE teacher. “I was lucky. I taught everybody,” Graves said “I love that, I knew every kid getting off the bus. [As an educator], you want to have the ability to have a bigger impact on a bigger group of kids.”

Graves is still able to use his experiences as a PE teacher and coach in his position as assistant principal. “When you think about the role of a principal, you’re actually like the head coach,” Graves added. “As a coach you have this mentality where you’re driven to lead and change in a positive way.” 

Graves is especially grateful for the guidance of past mentors, who encouraged him to pursue school administration. “Those people that impacted my life?…I want to be that person for you and for the community that I work in,” Graves said. “I want opportunities for our kids and our families [and ensure] that I’m pushing kids to have the opportunities that they may not have thought they had.”

“He’s been involved in every aspect of a comprehensive high school. He gets into classrooms, he goes to a lot of the athletics [events] and supports the school,” Goddard said. “He’s very knowledgeable at what he does because he’s been doing this kind of work for nine years. He’s got a lot to glean from.”

“I’ve made a lot of connections here with the students, whether they’re current students, alumni, obviously the staff, the PTSA, boosters, families, athletics, you know, everything,” Graves said.

Graves has been integral in “rejuvenating our WM boosters team. He’s leading the charge in terms of upgrading and improving the [Parent Teacher Student Association] system—the environment, the structure, and the communication,” Courtot added.

Graves’ experience with building a sense of community at Watkins Mill, especially with its International Baccalaureate (IB) regional magnet program, will help him make students from across the county immerse themselves into the Poolesville Falcons community.

“You see Mr. Graves in the hallway talking to the students, repping the WM gear…and being in the hallways communicating with kids,” Courtot added. “He’s really focused on making sure that there is a sense of community in the building to begin with.”

“He has really put a lot of stress on revitalizing our athletics in terms of coaching and participation, but also in terms of facilities and equipment,” Courtot added.

This year, Graves helped get more WMHS staff to become coaches. Given the pandemic’s toll on WM athletics, having coaches in the building significantly helps with athlete retention, student athletes keeping up their grades, eligibility, and having a trusted adult in times of need.

For the past few years, Graves has run summer school virtually and in-person. He’s most proud of the steady enrollment of kids in summer school, year after year, and how summer school provides an opportunity for students to make up credits or ensure summer graduation.

Graves said he was “always going to bat for our needs and making sure we get a little bit of leeway to offer courses here because of the barriers that prevent kids from going elsewhere.” Over 300 students have enrolled in summer school the last couple of years, resulting in many credits being fulfilled.

Loyal and committed, Graves knew he needed to see the Class of 2022 through as an administrator. While returning in-person from being virtual for COVID-19 is a treasured memory, his absolute favorite is “seeing the kids that I started with as freshmen make it through and graduate and go on,” Graves said. 

On a more competitive note, Graves shares that beating Damascus in basketball in March of 2020 to win the Regional Championship is a close second favorite memory.

Emotional, Graves said that he will miss the kids the most because “that’s why you do this.”

Graves was the first in his family to attend college. “I’ve had my back against the wall a number of times where [I thought to myself,] ‘what’s next for me?’ So, I just never gave up. And I tried to tell the kids the same thing.”

“[Graves] is really good at empowering the people around him. He also is kind of refreshing; he doesn’t really beat around the bush all that much,” Courtot added. “And I really respect and appreciate that he’s that direct.”

“I thank the kids, the staff, [and the] community for making me feel welcomed. I felt like a member of the family immediately,” Graves added. “I brought my dad to football games. They loved him just like they love me, and they didn’t even know him.”

In regards to the new assistant principal, Graves believes that “anybody who comes to Watkins Mill [needs] to have an open mind [and they need to] love kids. If they care about kids, and they’re open minded, then they’re going to be successful.”

“[Graves] is usually the one who is pushing back and fighting for what’s best for the students the loudest. He is not afraid to push back and say, ‘this is what we have to do for the students’,” Courtot added. “And that student-first mindset is probably the biggest thing that I will remember about working with him.”

“I appreciate the community and number one, the way they welcomed me and accepted me into the family, [and number two], the way they worked with me throughout my tenure here,” Graves said. “That’s what made everything work. And I’m going to miss it. I’m going to miss it.”