GCA Welcomes a New Assistant Principal/Athletic Director

The Spartan family is excited to announce the appointment of Assistant Principal/Athletic Director Allison Carmichael in the upcoming 2026-2027 school year. Read on to hear about Allison Carmichael's passion for education in her own words.

"I come from a family of educators, including my mother who taught junior high history, so teaching was a natural career choice for me. Beyond that, I found that working with kids was really fun and made a work day interesting. Kids keep you on your toes and keep you in touch with pop culture and trends. Kids also help you see a new point of view. When I talk to students I am always listening with an open mind hopeful to learn as much I may have to teach.

The students at GCA are incredibly talented in such a variety of ways from academics, to performing arts, to athletics. I am passionate about serving these students and their families, offering any support I can to help them reach their goals, while also celebrating them along the way.  

One of my guiding beliefs comes from a Maya Angelou quote, "...People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."  Even when we make poor choices, or lose a game, or earn a low grade, we deserve kindness and respect. Frankly, these are the times we may need kindness the most in our lives. My hope is that every parent or student I interact with can say that even when times were difficult, they were treated fairly -- with kindness and with respect.  

Simultaneously, I hope to help the students of GCA feel lifted up. They are champions in our community and should be boasted as such. I cannot wait to collaborate with the students of GCA with the shared vision of excellence to do all I can to help stand with and lift up these remarkable students. 

I believe there is power in being positive. My interest in building effective mental health skills drove me to earn a Master's Degree in Psychology, specifically Performance Psychology. At GCA, I will be creating opportunities to share these tools and skills with athletes and students alike, as our students often view the classroom as an arena.

Thinking back to when I was a student, I had similar thoughts about school and have fond memories of my 7th grade English teacher. She was one of my favorites. She assigned us rigorous essays but also chances to give speeches. I remember the essay topics and the speeches I presented because of the way she created the class to be a balance of interesting topics for which I could relate and an element of challenge. For one memorable assignment, I wrote about my goals to play Major League Baseball. I aim to bring this level of interest and rigor to my position at GCA.

Something you might be surprised to know about me: I have a new fascination with birds. I have a bird feeder that entertains me as various birds visit. I also use the Cornell app called Merlin to help me identify birds by sound that visit my yard. Most mornings I can be found on my back patio listening to the birds chatter. I love that time of my day."