Principal of Year keeps focus on student needs
Graduation day holds a special place in Justin Gabrysch’s heart. That’s when the Victoria East High School principal gets to see the students he’s encouraged and supported step out and go to college.
“I love the rapport and relationship that I can build with the teachers and students every day,” Gabrysch said. “It’s a wonderful feeling to see the students reach the point of growing up and moving into the next stage in their lives.”
Gabrysch, a University of Houston-Victoria alumnus, was named the Principal of the Year for the Victoria Independent School District and then for Region III in 2023. He graduated from UHV in 2011 with a Master of Education in Administration and Supervision and recently completed the superintendency graduate certificate preparation program in the UHV College of Education & Health Professions.
The Principal of the Year award is offered by the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals. The association was established in 1923 to build a network of educators who focus on the quality of educational leadership. This is not Gabrysch’s first time earning acknowledgement for his skills as an educator and a leader. In 2010, he was named a VISD Teacher of the Year, and in 2017 was named Assistant Principal of the Year for Region III.
His career began as a coach at Patti Welder Middle School in 2006 after earning his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University in 2004. In 2010, he became the head of the middle school’s history department. Then, in 2012, he received his first administrative role as assistant principal at Cade Middle School. From there, he became the assistant principal at Victoria East High School in 2014 before moving up to be school principal in 2019.
Throughout his career, Gabrysch has recognized the importance of teamwork and taking ownership of the work he and others do to educate and support students. As a leader, he makes himself visible and approachable so teachers and students can feel comfortable approaching him with their needs.
“It’s never just one thing that leads to success,” he said. “I wear many hats as I go through the day. I want to be present and supportive. Whether it’s structural or emotional support, budgets, security or any of many other things, I want to make sure everyone has what they need.”
Encouraging teachers to lead by example and pursue ongoing education is a crucial element, he said. Every year, a cohort of Victoria East High School teachers begin working to earn master’s degrees at UHV. Gabrysch originally chose to get a master’s degree from UHV after a conversation he had with another educator about eventually getting a doctoral degree.
“Those conversations are important, and I encourage our teachers and staff to have those conversations with students,” he said. “That one moment encouraged me to go back to school years ago. You never know when a simple conversation can lead to a life-changing decision.”
When he was attending UHV, Gabrysch said he loved how the university’s faculty taught using conversations about real-world situations and experiences in addition to the reading material in class.
“The focus was on building relationships and applying what we learned to fit our needs in the real world,” he said. “It wasn’t just an emphasis on making good grades. We were encouraged to have conversations with our professors without any fear or pressure.”
After he finished the superintendency program, Gabrysch began participating in a partnership between UHV and VISD in the VISD-IV Leadership Training Cohort for M.Ed. and Principal Certification preparation. In that role, he works with Lou Lloyd-Zannini, a UHV professor of educational leadership, to offer instruction as part of the university’s principalship graduate certificate preparation program.
“Justin Gabrysch is an exemplar of highest quality leadership,” Lloyd-Zannini said. “He has a heart and head that are focused on serving those he interacts with, whether learners and parents, faculty and staff or the greater community. He is a great representative of our educational leadership programs. He’s an excellent and effective principal who leads a team of dedicated and highly competent administrators who are dedicated to the success of their learners at Victoria East.”
Looking back on his time leading Victoria East High School and receiving the Principal of the Year award, Gabrysch is hesitant to take much credit. While striving to be a positive force in leadership, most of the work was accomplished together by the faculty and staff team, he said.
“We did everything together, and we did it all for the students,” he said. “Everything we do is student-centered. We want to make sure our students’ overall experience in high school is a good one. We want them leaving here confident and with a plan and a sense of hope for the future.”
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.