Greg Keith’s new position as Ledyard Center School’s principal brings him a little bit closer to home, literally. Keith grew up in neighboring Preston, and has had “plenty of friends and associates,” in Ledyard throughout his life.
Some of Keith’s Ledyard connections relate to his lifelong love of basketball. He played the game while a student at Norwich Free Academy, at Wake Forest, and Fairfield University.
After graduating from college, he played professional basketball in Portugal and spent a year on the Washington Senators, touring with the Harlem Globetrotters.
In 1993, he tried out for the San Antonio Spurs, then returned to graduate school. In 1995 he got married and started a family.
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Keith said his background as an athlete, particularly at the college level, gives him a skill set useful in the academic workplace.
“You’re used to dealing with time constraints, a certain regimen, and the demands of practice, sports, and study,” he said. Both fields attract the kind of person who “always likes to be busy,” he said. The notions of “team play” and “teamwork” are also useful in both arenas, he said.
Keith still lives in Preston, in the house he grew up in, with his wife and four children. He worked as a teacher and administrator in Stonington for 14 years before accepting the principal’s job in Ledyard.
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“Teaching and learning comes first,” in both districts, he said. “It’s a good situation for the kids. The school’s administrator is a teacher, rather than a building coordinator.”
Keith said he will initially focus on “learning as much as I can about what’s already working at the school,” he said. “I’ll get to know the teachers and the community and learn more about what’s already taking place… that’s where I’ll start.”
Once the school year begins, Keith said he will have a school-based blog where parents and families can contact him and communicate with him directly.
When not working at the school or spending time with his family, Keith officiates at high school basketball games throughout eastern Connecticut. He’s served as the director of Preston’s Youth Basketball league, and has been a Board of Education member in Preston.
He’s volunteered as a coach for his children’s various teams, and has taught summer school at St. Thomas More for many years. “I’ve been very involved with my community, as I will be with the Ledyard community,” he said.
