Staff Report
Geraldine “Gerri” Brown-Springer, a beloved former Principal of Slade Middle School, was honored on June 3rd, with the re-naming of Brookside School adjacent to Pulaski Middle School in her honor.
At the school naming ceremony Dean of Students Michael Peterson and Boys & Girls Club Executive Director James Jones recalled the support and encouragement they received from Brown-Springer when they were her students and her mentoring in helping them to become educators.
In his remarks Peterson said Gerri Brown-Springer has left an “indelible mark” on her city. “She believes in taking responsibility for one’s actions and outcomes. This philosophy pushes her to excel and inspire those around her to do the same. At the heart of Ms. Springer’s work is a deep commitment to her community. She understands that we are stronger together and that true progress comes from lifting each other up.”
Brown-Springer was appointed principal of Slade Middle School in 1992. At the time she was the only black administrator in the school system previously serving as Vice Principal.
“I want to energize the staff as to the rewards of education,” Brown-Springer told the Hartford Courant in a story about her appointment. “Then they can, in turn, energize the students.” According to the Courant “Brown-Springer, who is known for her smile and confident gait, said she hopes to pass on some of her energy. As a guidance counselor at Slade, she had a reputation as someone the students could trust and confide in. ’I want to be able to give some of the nurturing that I received,’ Brown Springer said as she began leading Slade for the 1992-1993 school year.”
The Consolidated School District of New Britain said that “It is with great pride that we come together to honor her legacy with the renaming of our school. We proudly gather to honor the extraordinary legacy” of “an educator, trailblazer and tireless advocate for equity and opportunity.”
Brown-Springer is widely recognized as a strong and active community leader who has served in numerous roles in the New Britain and beyond, such as on the Executive Board of the New Britain NAACP and as a member of the Mary McLeod Bethune Club, a congregant of Spottswood AME Zion Church, the Coalition of 100 Black Women and the Sisters In Progress Mentoring Program. She serves as Board President of Opportunities Industrialization Center of New Britain. Brown-Springer, who began her career teaching in city schools, received a master’s degree in guidance from Central Connecticut State University in 1972 and was awarded an administration certificate from the university in 1986, with a concentration in educational administration and supervision.
In addition to city and school officials, dozens of colleagues and friends from Brown-Springer’s church and other organizations she joined and led attended the re-naming ceremony.
