Meet Centreville High School's New Principal

Among the hundreds of new faces at this fall will be that of a new principal, Martin Grimm. 

Grimm officially took the reins at Centreville this July after the previous principal, , retired and took a new position in Alabama. Before Centreville, he worked at in Alexandria for nine years: five as director of student activities, four as assistant principal. 

Before he moved to Virginia, Grimm served as dean of student activities at a school in Boulder. He also worked as an athletic director and head coach for the men's basketball program at Oxford College of Emory University in Georgia. 

Centreville, though, is where he plans to stay. 

"I'm going to be here awhile," Grimm said. "This isn't a stepping stone to something else. I stayed at Edison for nine years and I really became part of the community. I plan to do the same here."

He said it felt natural to apply for the job at Centreville when he heard there would be an opening. 

"I've always liked Centreville," Grimm said. "It has a certain family feel to it."

Even though it's summer, the last few weeks have been busy (including ) as he prepares for the year ahead. 

"My goal this year actually is to really build relationships in the building and the community," Grimm said. "A lot of what needs to get done needs to be a team effort." 

There will be opportunities for CVHS parents to meet Grimm as the school year approaches, including a meet-and-greet on Thursday, August 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the CVHS Media Center. 

Grimm, an Alexandria resident and the father of two, said his major priority at Centreville will be to train students "who can read and write and adapt to changes." He sees technology as an important tool for engagement. 

"At the end of the day, my long-term goal is that every student who walks out of this building needs to be ready for the 21st century. It's kind of a cliche, but it's true," he said. "So my long-term goal is to have students be critical readers, critical writers and critical problem-solvers."

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