By Jonann Brady
Kindergartners are his "little darlings," a maintenance worker is his "right hand man," a teacher is the "best fifth-grade teacher in the district."
He, in turn, is treated like a rock star.
A secretary bustles up to corner him. "I need the autograph of this famous man," she says.
He pops his head into classrooms and the kids grow wide-eyed. "Good morning, Mr. Griggs!" they chorus. A first grade class stands to do the funky "Seven Continents Dance" for him.
"Now who's in charge?" he jokes with a third-grade class.
"You are!" they holler back.
The school music teacher, Harvey Dagen, passes by and says, "He lets us fly."
They all agree on one thing -- Mr. Griggs will be missed.
Griggs will end his tenure at the Baldwin School District when school lets out this June. The 55-year-old Pittsburgh native began his teaching career in the 1970s as a social studies teacher in Hempstead. He then worked as the administrator of an alternative school, an assistant principal in Hempstead, the assistant principal of Baldwin Senior High School, and then 13 years ago, became principal at Lenox.
He calls this career progression an evolution, and says when he started out, he never imagined working with elementary school kids. He spent close to four years with the Air Force in Vietnam, and when he began teaching, he thought working with older kids was where the action was.
"I wouldn't have appreciated elementary school until now that I'm more seasoned. Elementary kids demand more," he said.
Griggs, for all his laughter and banter, demands a great deal as well, from teachers, students and their parents, who are known collectively as the "Lenox family." He wants creativity, commitment, and most of all, participation from those in his family.
"This is more than a school," he said. "It's a place we raise children and teach them how to love one another and how to respect one another."
As the big daddy, for lack of a better term, Griggs sets the tone for the entire family, and he is far from the desk bound bureaucrat. "You gotta be out there," he said.
To students, Griggs is firm yet fair and employs what he calls "creative discipline." For example, if two students get in a fight, he will make them stand in the hallway and face each other holding hands. He will make them say over and over, "I will not hurt you. You will not hurt me."
"After 20 minutes with everyone walking by, they realize how silly it is to fight," he said. "At that point, they're just tired and want to hug."
And Griggs is not shy about tapping into parents and inspiring them to devote boundless energy and time to the school. This year, parents were instrumental in organizing a volleyball tournament that raised over $20,000 to benefit Baldwin children whose parents were killed on Sept. 11. Two of those families -- the Hobbses and the McAleeses -- have children at Lenox school.
For the school's 50th anniversary two years ago, Griggs and his "family" took the entire school and a contingent of alumni -- 500 bodies in all -- on an overnight field trip to Manhattan that went off without a hitch.
"We do what people say you can't do with kids," he said. "With parental support, you can do anything."
And for teachers, many of whom burn out in what they feel is a thankless and often stifling environment, Griggs empowers them, trusting them to both do their jobs and have fun in the classroom.
"He keeps us motivated and gives us room to breathe," said Shelly Stanley, a third-grade teacher. "He brings out the best in people. We'll desperately miss him."
After 34 years, though, Griggs says it is time for him to move on and leave on a high note.
Griggs, who is married and has two grown children, will split his time between his home in Uniondale and Georgia, where he works with a residential drug program for single mothers as a consultant. He will continue with other consulting work, as well as pursue some of his favorite hobbies -- scuba diving, bicycling and motorcycling.
Even though Griggs will leave the building come June, it seems his aura and his influence will not disappear anytime soon from Lenox school.
As one first-grader wrote in a good-bye letter to Griggs, "We will miss you and your yummy pancakes. Please leave your recipe behind."
A retirement party in honor of Griggs will be held on Thursday, June 6 at the Bridgeview Yacht Club in Island Park. For details and reservations, call Geri Egan at 516-377-8345.
What the kids taught the principal:
1. Don't take yourself too seriously.
2. Don't carry a grudge.
3. Have fun.
H: What the kids say about the principal:
"He loves his job more than anyone I know." -- Billy Foley
"He is a good thinker. He is inspirational. I would wish him to be principal forever." -- Timothy
"His spirit cannot be broken. He never lets our spirit be broken." -- D.J. Guscott
"He has good ideas. Whatever Mrs. Maldonado says he does. He has everybody under control. He has a tie for every suit. He looks good in purple. That is why Mr. Griggs is so awesome at his job." -- Patrick Dillon
