Aimee Alexander-Shea, one of our three assistant principals who handles students with the last name starting with letters Gr through O, is sadly moving on to Barlow High School next year. She has been at Gresham High for four years and will be missed by the entire community.

  “First, I want to thank everyone in the Gresham High School Community for making my 4 years here amazing, I have learned so much from working with the staff, students, and families. I am thankful for the relationships I have developed,” Alexander-Shea said.

  Alexander-Shea has moved around a lot. She came to Oregon from Tampa, Florida in 2011 with her children. She has been deeply involved with education for many years.  She has taught at the elementary, high school, community college, and university level. Alexander-Shea seems to enjoy change and how it can help encourage growth professionally.

 “I believe every change in our lives brings new opportunities to grow and learn,” Alexander-Shea said.

  She has been here for only four years, but to others, it has felt like forever. Students and teachers will miss her and everything she has done for our school.

  “I will miss Principal Shea because she has always been very supportive and kind to me. I will miss her greatly when she leaves Gresham, but I wish her all the best when she goes to Sam Barlow High School. It meant a lot to me when she would stop me and ask if I was alright. She is such a helpful and amazing person to anyone she encounters. She will be missed by not only the staff but by the students as well. I wish her the best on her future adventures in administration,” freshman Lisha Loud said.

  Many teachers have also had great experiences with Alexander-Shea. When Alexander-Shea came to Gresham, Rachel Fortgang, English teacher, was fairly new.

  “When Aimee was new to GHS, there were a few teachers, including myself, who were fairly new (also). It feels like we’ve grown together – we as teachers and her as an administrator. Our professional relationship has grown too – our familiarity and trust has deepened. It feels sad to throw that away and start over with someone new, but I know Barlow is lucky to have her,” Fortgang said.       

  Alexander-Shea will also miss being a part of this school, but is looking forward to new opportunities at Barlow High School.

“I will dearly miss being part of this school. As I move to Barlow, I hope to learn about their programs so I can contribute to the progress they are making,” Alexander-Shea said.