Principal Dr. Lisa Gruman carefully sounded out the words of her speech, gently leaning back against her black desk chair, her hazel eyes flitting back and forth between lines. She wanted each word to mean something. Needed each word to mean something

Of course, for the prideful seniors, misty-eyed parents and pleased teachers. 

But this time — with it being the last Northwest graduation she speaks at — for her, which, if you ask anyone who knows Dr. Gruman, is rare. Beyond rare.

“She will do anything for anyone,” secretary Nicole Shay said. “Even if it puts her in a bad spot. She will bend over backwards and then some.”

Dr. Gruman announced her decision to leave NW on April 22, after being principal for 12 years, an administrator for nine, and a math teacher for four. She’ll be moving to a position in the Blue Valley School District, where she’ll be training other building principals as they make their transition.

“This might sound a little cliché,” Dr. Gruman said. “But I’ve allowed my excitement and sadness for leaving to exist at the same time.”

Dr. Gruman said that the hardest part of leaving has been saying her goodbyes. She hasn’t explicitly said the words yet. But she thinks about them as she brings Shay Starbucks, gives her high fives or asks about her four and thirteen year old boys.

“She calls them ‘little nugs,’ which I think is the cutest thing ever,” Shay said. “She’ll hug me now at least once a day.”

She thinks about them as she rounds the halls in her bright orange sneakers and black slacks, her phrases “Hello all!” or “Let’s make it the best sixth hour!” ring out with persistent optimism. 

She thinks about them as journalism adviser, Christopher Heady, tells her about this year’s yearbook theme.

And she wonders what her life will look like in a few months, when she isn’t walking through the familiar front doors with her black tea or checking in with office staff. When her husband is no longer working in the same district. And she’s no longer cheering on orange and black jerseys from the sidelines at football games. 

“That’s the hardest part,” Dr. Gruman said. “It’s so interesting because our seniors are all kind of going through the same thing.”

Dr. Gruman grew up in Fairfield, Iowa, and graduated from a high school class of 146. She seized every opportunity to experience high school: sub-varsity volleyball, theater, national honors society, pep band leader, competitive speech, poetry reading and more. She was a rule follower and straight-A student. 

She found herself drawn to quadratics and formulas. And as she excelled in math, she started tutoring other students, helping small groups in class and even assisting with grading papers.

“I remember going to math competitions in middle school,” Dr. Gruman said. “We made it to state once, and that was my first time being away from home. I can’t remember how competitive we were, but we tried really hard and it was so fun.”

She decided to major in math, and couldn’t imagine a world where she wasn’t teaching it one day. 

“I really liked the Kansas City Metro Area,” Dr. Gruman said. “So there was an exchange program for student teaching at Northwest, and I got placed there.”

When she arrived at NW, the student population was around 2,100.

“The halls were bustling,” Dr. Gruman said, laughing. “That reflected how huge it was.”

She divvied out Algebra 2 worksheets as she student taught in a portable trailer in the South parking lot, before moving to room 223. Even if there were times when she felt small or claustrophobic or lost at her new job, as most freshman feel on their first day, she had a good feeling.

 “This was where I was meant to be,” Dr. Gruman said.

When a new job opened up to be an associate principal at NW, five years later, she applied for it, ready for the challenge, just like now.

In the past 10 years, Dr. Gruman has led the building through a pandemic, ICE raids, student funerals and more. She carries that grief and stress with her. And she finds herself healing more each day.

“I’ve learned that my life experiences have value,” Dr. Gruman said. “You’re still using them to take care of people.”

It’s hard for her to talk about herself. But when she does, she’s modest and genuine. She takes every opportunity to thank someone in the building and credit them for projects she’s worked on and programs she’s helped implement. She cries easily. And she takes everything to heart.

When the bell rings and students go home, Dr. Gruman heads back to her office. Sometimes she doesn’t leave until 10:00 p.m., Shay said.

Even when she gets home, she’ll be looking at spreadsheets and master schedules, ticking off tasks mentally.

“Nobody realizes how much she does or how truly kind she is,” Shay said. “Now that I think about it, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen her in a bad mood.”

People don’t see her make brunch on weekends, or spend time with her daughter, Hannah, who’s in medical school, or her son, Noah, who’s a power systems engineer — both of whom went to NW. Or know that she picked up quilting. Or that she winds down with Home Improvement TV.

Or that there’s a scribbled rainbow drawing hanging above her desk, that one kid drew for her at an education conference. Soon, that picture will be gone, along with Dr. Gruman’s family photos, motivational posters and a football with white writing “1st Win as Principal, October 25, 2013.”

As she finishes writing her speech for graduation, Dr. Gruman is waiting to walk out of her office for the last time. She doesn’t know what her new job will hold or what the future of NW will look like. But she’s excited. She’s counting the days, just like a senior. 

“I’ve been so fortunate to do a job I love,” Dr. Gruman said. “I just want that for all of our kids.”