BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Karen Brugh has proven herself in the classroom. Now, she’s ready to prove herself as an administrator at the same school at which she was voted Teacher of the Year.
Brugh, who was Bradford Middle School’s 2022-23 Teacher of the Year, is now the new assistant principal at BMS, which should make for an easy transition.
“I already have some connections with the kids and the teachers,” Brugh said. “I hope to use those relationships I’ve already built with them, the parents and the community to kind of mold stronger relationships between all of them in this capacity.”
What also makes for an easy transition is that Brugh has been able to serve in administrative-like leadership roles, thanks to Principal Ben Hawkins and former Assistant Principal Amy Newman.
“I think I’m more prepared now than I was when I got my (master’s) degree (in 2021), just with the experiences that Ms. Newman and Mr. Hawkins allowed me to have,” Brugh said.
Brugh, who has taught at the middle and elementary levels, said she didn’t pursue an administrative job immediately after earning her master’s degree because she didn’t want her family experiencing too many big changes at once, with one of those changes being the fact that her husband, Larry, started his own business (MP 46 Electric).
Yet Hawkins and Newman knew she was ready to make the move out of the classroom and take on the challenge of being an administrator.
“Those two pushed me into the role that I’m in and even gave me the courage to apply,” Brugh said.
A love of learning
Brugh said she’s always enjoyed learning, crediting that to the “wonderful” teachers she had as a student at every level of school. She thinks fondly of one of her teachers at Green Cove Springs’ Charles E. Bennett Elementary School.
“One that jumps out to me was my first-grade teacher, who later became one of my team leaders at the school that I taught at,” Brugh said. “She was one of my most impressionable teachers. She just brought the classroom alive. I fell in love with that.”
As a student at Clay High School, Brugh had made up her mind that she was going to become a teacher. Her lifelong love of learning and the teachers she had influenced that, but so, too, did her joy of being around children, whether it was through babysitting opportunities or church youth activities.
“I’ve always loved kids,” Brugh said.
Despite the fact she was a “homebody,” Brugh moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, after graduating from high school to attend Tennessee Temple University. She feels the experience was beneficial as her new independence had her relying more upon her faith.
“That was probably where I found a lot of my strength,” Brugh said, adding, “Thankfully, I had teachers and professors who embraced me while I was there.”
Brugh would return home to Clay County after graduating, beginning her teaching career at the elementary school she attended. She was able to work five to six years with her former first-grade teacher before that teacher retired.
“It was an awesome experience going back to my elementary school,” Brugh said. “I actually taught third grade in the very same classroom that I was in in third grade. It was funny. I could just remember being in the classroom and things from when I was a child and a third-grader. That was great.”
Her former first-grade teacher was a great mentor. So was former Bradford County educator/administrator Evelyn Chastain, who was principal at Charles E. Bennett Elementary.
“She has been one who has poured into me for many, many years,” Brugh said, adding that Chastain still encourages her.
A new home
Brugh admitted she never thought she’d leave Clay County, but she and her family moved to Bradford County. It was a move led by God. Brugh’s husband, who’s an ordained minister, was pastoring at a church that was quite a distance from the family’s home. They were looking for an opportunity to be involved in a church and have a home not far from that church.
A random, online search of houses led Brugh to a home for sale in Starke that seemed perfect for her family. Then, Brugh heard the same verse from Isaiah mentioned in sermons during two visits to First Baptist of Starke. The same verse was also mentioned during a sermon at her home church in between those visits to the Starke church.
“We were like, ‘This is a sign,’” Brugh said.
The family moved to Starke, with Larry pastoring at a church in Hampton.
“It was all the Lord’s movement,” Brugh said.
She continued to teach in Clay for another couple of years before deciding it was time to enroll her children in Bradford schools and to find a teaching job in Bradford. Her first job in Bradford was at the former Southside Elementary School, where she met fellow teacher Kim Stucky.
“She was one of the greatest influences on me in feeling comfortable coming out here and transitioning to being an educator here,” Brugh said.
Brught never wanted to be a teacher who remained at one grade level. Between Clay and Bradford counties, she taught every elementary school grade.
“I was one who was not content with staying complacent at one particular grade level,” Brugh said. “I was just a constant, eager learner. If I was mastering one grade level, I wanted to move to another grade level.”
At one time, she did think she would remain an elementary teacher, but her desire to be a future administrator led her to want to experience teaching higher grades. That took her to Bradford Middle School, where she taught sixth and seventh grades.
“I’ve loved it,” Brugh said. “I love this age group.”
Becoming an admin
Brugh said she has benefitted from the support of every administrator she has worked for — all of whom allowed her to utilize her strengths in the classroom and take what she described as “risks” when it comes to educating students — risks that are, of course, backed by data and her own belief that her students would benefit.
“As teachers sometimes, it might feel like you’re in a box.” Brugh said. “It might feel like you’re mandated to this, or you’re mandated to do that, but I think it’s important for teachers to feel comfortable, but also challenged in their trade. I feel like it’s important for them to feel like they can take risks. Otherwise, they’ll stay complacent with where they are.”
Bradford County administrators have also benefitted Brugh in that they served as role models to follow as she now prepares for her position as an assistant principal. She watched how Laurén Morgan, the assistant principal at Southsdie/Bradford Elementary, builds morale and comes up with things to celebrate every month. She saw Starke Elementary Principal Raymond Schaeffer (when he was the assistant principal at Starke) treat everyone at the school the same, whether they were teachers or in non-teaching roles. BHS Principal Chris Coffey (when he was the assistant principal at BHS) was an example because of the relationships he forged and maintained with parents and community members.
Then, there was Newman at BMS. Brugh said Newman “would just perk the place up in different ways, and she would have conversations with people about their strengths and using those strengths.”
Brugh said Newman taught her it’s OK to say “no” as an administrator, while Hawkins has told her to go with her gut when making decisions and then to stick by those decisions.
Though she was encouraged by Hawkins and Newman to apply for the assistant-principal position, Brugh wanted to consult with her daughter, Katherine, before doing so. Brugh said she knows how some middle school students can be toward the children of teachers and administrators at the same school. Katherine is preparing to enter the eighth grade at BMS.
“That was one conversation I wanted to be sure I had before I even applied — that she was going to be OK,” Brugh said.
Brugh said her daughter told her, “Mom, you worked for this degree. You’ve got to use it at some point.”
It’s not that her daughter’s peers would have anything really to talk about anyway. Brugh said she’s always treated every one of her students the same, even when her own children were in her class. She said one of her sons couldn’t believe he once received a grade of 89 from her instead of a 90 on. Her response was, “You didn’t earn the 90.”
Family
Brugh and her husband have been married for 21 years. Though he’s an ordained as a minister, Larry isn’t currently pastoring at a church, though he and Brugh are both involved in the church they currently attend — Cross Church of Starke.
Larry works for W.W. Gay Fire Protection as well as working with MP 46 Electric business.
“He has been my greatest supporter throughout education,” Brugh said.
Brugh and her husband have four children: Jonathan, Jacob, Jeffrey and Katherine.
Jonathan, a 2022 BHS graduate, just got his commercial driving license and is working in Green Cove Springs. Jacob, a 2023 BHS graduate, is working for an electric company in Orange Park and is considering joining the Marines.
Jeffrey, who’ll be a sophomore at BHS, loves baseball and has already set personal goals for the 2024 season, Brugh said. As a freshman, he led the Tornadoes with 26 stolen bases, which tied him for 12th best in the state. A shoulder injury prevented him from adding to that total.
“He’s determined to get back to where he was and surpass that,” Brugh said.
Jeffrey had the third-highest batting average on the team in 2023 at .288.
Katherine is an athlete as well. She plays volleyball.
“I finally got a girl, but we said, ‘Four and no more, whether it’s a girl or a boy,’” Brugh said.
Of course, her family consists of more than her husband and four children. For an educator, students are like family, and even though her job as assistant principal has already begun, it’s weird being on campus now without the students.
“It’s different when they’re not here,” Brugh said.
Then there’s Brugh’s Heavenly father. Each move she and her family have made in life wasn’t made without prayer beforehand.
She made mistakes as a teacher, and she will make mistakes as an assistant principal, but she’ll continue to lean on God as a source of strength.
“My faith leads me strongly, no matter what I’m doing,” Brugh said, adding, “I know it’s not all going to be perfect, but I’m not alone in doing it.”
