From CHS Graduate to Principal, Gillies Ready For Graduation

By Megan Middleton, Crowley ISD Communications & Marketing

CHS Graduation - 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 1 at Fort Worth Convention Center

Thirty years after earning his own diploma from Crowley High School, Robert Gillies is once again preparing for an Eagles graduation ceremony — but this time as the school’s principal.

Gillies, a 1986 graduate who grew up in Crowley, took the helm of Crowley High this school year after serving as principal of Crowley Middle School and S.H. Crowley Intermediate. He also worked as an assistant principal at Bess Race Elementary and taught at Crowley 9th Grade as well as Parkway and Poynter elementary schools. He also taught two years in Fort Worth ISD.

Becoming a high school principal was not originally a part of his career plan, but Gillies, who has spent 18 years in education, said he feels more settled in this new role than any other.

“I spent four great years here at Crowley High School,” he said of his time as a student. “I loved going to high school. I was involved in the band, had a lot of friends and was active in the school. To have the opportunity to come back as the principal and give those kids the same kind of experience where they are like, ‘I don’t want to leave school. I’m having too much fun doing it,’ I thought, that’s a great opportunity.”

Since Gillies was a student at Crowley High School, cell phones have replaced pay phones and the student body has grown, but the memories are never too far away.

“I walk through this building and a lot of it has changed physically of what it looks like inside,” he said. “But a lot of memories come back. That’s fun at times. You get a little nostalgic every so often.”

Gillies said the supportive environment he remembers still exists, and he works to ensure that continues.

“There were a lot of people who were invested in us when I was here,” he said. “There were teachers you could go to for any reason, and that’s still the case here, and that’s what I think is great about this place.”

Students have noticed and appreciate Gillies’ involvement and approachable demeanor.

“He’s really for the students, and that’s what this school needs the most,” senior Cory May said. “He’s not a stay-in-the-office principal.”

Senior Kolby Cagle pointed out how Gillies attends athletic and other extracurricular events and knows students by name.

“I think that’s really cool that he finds that time to interact,” Cagle said.

May added, “A lot of principals know the really smart kids and the A-honor roll kids, but he gets to know all the kids.”

Gillies has made a concerted effort to be visible and available to students, whether he’s on campus or away.

“Kids need to see you,” he said. “I’ve been away, and they’ve had an issue and an assistant principal will call me on my cell phone, and I’ll talk with the student on my phone when I’m 200 miles away ... If a kid needs to talk to you, that’s the most important thing.”

And students say they feel that from him.

“He really takes time out of his day to actually talk to students and wants to get to know them,” Katy Greer, senior class president, said. “He builds relationships with the students.”

That interaction makes it easier to approach the principal.

“He actually understands what teenagers are going through,” Matthew Lemus, a senior, said. “He remembers what it’s like. If I’m having trouble with something, he’ll help.”

Erick Acosta, also a senior, said he respects Gillies, who has helped him with school projects, and is someone he sees as more like a family member than a school administrator.

Seniors said the principal brightens students’ days but also works to see them succeed.

“Mr. Gillies is there every step of the way pushing you,” senior Nick McMullen said.

Greer added, “He doesn’t just say, ‘Go to class, get your stuff done.’ He’s working with you the whole way. He’s sat me down to talk to me about colleges and help me decide where I want to go.”

Gillies said part of his job is to show students he’s there to support them.

“We have the great power to either make or break their day,” he said. “I told my administrative team, I want every day made for these kids. I don’t want anybody broken. Kids need to be loved on and made to feel they really matter and that they’re important.”

One way he’s doing that is by penning notes to each of the more than 400 seniors set to walk the stage at the CHS graduation on June 1.

“My friends who have been high school principals told me you never, ever forget your first graduating class or your last,” Gillies said. “Here, it’s not because they’re my first class to graduate, they are just a great group of kids. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of kids.”

Within this first group of seniors to graduate under Gillies are some he had as elementary students when he was an assistant principal at Bess Race.

“When you see kids in the third and fourth grade, they start developing their own personality. You begin to see that little spark,” he said. “And now I see them grown up. They’ve become really good people, making good responsible decisions. That’s the coolest thing about it. It shows how powerful this profession can be when you see them go full circle.”

Gillies’ goals for Crowley High School include continuing to grow it academically and for more students to be involved and take pride in their school.

“I want this school to do well,” he said. “I have ownership in this school. It produced me, and I want to come back now and give it what it gave me. I think that’s really important.

“It has produced and continues to produce great graduates.”

Greer is excited to see how Gillies will help Crowley High in the future.

“This is just his first year here,” Greer said. “I can’t wait to see what happens after this. My brother has two more years to have him. I just know Mr. Gillies is going to do great things. If he can do all this in one year, just imagine what he can do in the next three or four years.”