Ashley Gray is the new Vice Principal for Carbon High School (CHS). Gray has a Bachelor’s Degree from Utah State University in Mathematics and Statistics Education. She also attended the University of Utah for a Masters in Mathematics Teaching and, in 2022, she completed a second Masters of Education – School Leadership from Southern Utah University.
This year marks Gray’s 17th year as an educator. She taught junior high math for seven years, high school math for another seven years and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) for five years. She has taught everything from Math 7 through AP Calculus and has also been an adjunct math professor at Utah Valley University.
Following 14 years of teaching, Gray then became the Coordinator of Granite Online, which is Granite District’s synchronous online program. Once that closed, she ventured to Eisenhower Junior High as the Intern Assistant Principal.
In February, Gray applied for the Assistant Principal position at CHS. She stated that she left the interview with a good feeling and appreciated that the interview panel consisted of staff from a variety of different roles within the high school. Before accepting the position, she visited Price to tour the school and spent a week in Carbon County to get a feel for the area.
“I’m glad I chose to come here,” Gray stated. “Everyone has been so welcoming. Go Dinos!”
Gray explained that this year, CHS will be implementing a Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program, with the theme of R.O.A.R. R.O.A.R stands for Respect, Optimism, Ambition and Resilience.
“We hope that by focusing on respect, CHS will show regard for the feelings, wishes, rights and tradition of others. Through optimism, CHS will feel hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something. By having ambition, CHS can have a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. And finally by having resilience, CHS will have the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties,” Gray explained.
Gray stated that her biggest challenge is getting to know the students and faculty while providing support for both faculty and students. She stated that there are a lot of new faces and names, but she is putting in extra effort to learn as many as she can. Gray expressed excitement at being at a high school again, as she really enjoys this age group.
“It is a pivotal time in their lives that will have a huge influence in shaping their future. I hope to be a positive influence for our students at Carbon High,” Gray concluded. “I’m also happy that I have another admin I can talk theatre and the arts with. And lastly, getting to know the community.”