|
James Bracy was born in Flora, Mississippi on December 10,1944.He was the eldest child and the only son to his parents. His family moved to Flint, Michigan in 1949. Mr. Bracy was educated by the Flint Community Schools where he attended Clark and Walker Elementary, Whitter Jr. High and Southwestern High Schools. He then continued his education at Indiana State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree. Afterward, he went on to earn a Master of Arts Degree at Eastern Michigan University. Mr. Bracy then returned to his roots and became employed by the Flint Community Schools as a Community School Director at Dewey, Shelby, and Pierce Elementary Schools.Eventually he became the Prinicipal at Coolidge Elementary where he would remain for 25 years. Mr. Bracy retired in 2010 after being with Flint Community Schools for 44 years. Other than his strong dedication to his work, Mr.Bracy was described as a lover of all sports, a caring person who loved children. His wife, Irene, describred him as an outgoing person who loved to make others laugh, and above all else he loved his family.
I enjoyed the faculty and the teachers there. They made me feel welcome and they made it feel worthwhile.Especially Mr. Bracy, because without him I wouldn’t have been able to attend because technically it wasn’t my school district. -Zipporah Turner Never encountered a teacher that I didn’t like there, and the principal, definitely the principal, Mr. Bracy at the time.One time I got in trouble and Mr. Bracy let it slide saying “I know you're better that.” -Michele Cochran Mr.Bracy was super cool. - Lamar Rahamaad Being around Mr. Bracy and the teachers I learned to have respect and be kind to the next person. -John Patrick Mr. Bracy was a wonderful principal and I was best friends with his daughter.Just hanging out in the principal's office, with Mr. Bracy. I realize that’s a special privilege, because most people go to the principal's office to get in trouble and I remember that Mr., Bracy had a good relationship with my dad, and he was just a great principal.-Jamillah May I most enjoyed working with Mr.Bracy and the teachers and kids.I loved the teachers and the parents, and Mr. Bracy he was just a great principal -Vera Crandall It was an enjoyment to work under Mr.Bracy. -Thelma Mull We were a close staff and the principal (Mr. Bracy) he was very fair, and he expected the most professionalism out of each and every staff member and he was very supportive for the most part.Never regretting having to come to work, because I knew between Mr. Bracy and the staff there was a great supportive unit. I was always surrounded by people that I could talk to. I learned a lot from Mr. Bracy, he was also a former community school director, so we had that connection. When I went through the administrative training for the GISD, he was happy to be my mentor. -Steve Branoff We had a wonderful Principal, James Bracy He was encouraging, he was happy, I really looked up to him as a mentor. He got along with the staff, students, the parents, the community. Fond memories at Coolidge are numerous. They include field trips, field days, class parties, 6th grade end of year assemblies, class projects,sportingevents,Staff Pay Day Friday breakfast, weekly library trips,read-a-thons, staff meetings, team meetings, being recognized as a top achieving school under the leadership of our principal for many years the late Mr. James Bracy. We also had many, many laughs and fun times.Totally Unforgettable!! -Sherra Davis The late great Mr. Bracy was awesome. - Sean Croudy We were a school that had good teachers, and a great principal Mr. Bracy. He worked with the kids and he wanted to see the kids excel You could just tell that he loved those kids. He had the biggest impact on that school, and everyone loved him. He is missed. The staff got along very well. And Mr. Bracy was just a god principal, the best principal was the best principal ever. He had a very open-door policy and you could talk to him about anything. He was a great principal and great friend . -Sandra Bradley Mr. Bracey was an incredible principal and he loved his kids. - Samia Brown Favorite Principal was Jim Bracy, he was wonderful to work for. Saw himself as someone who could help everyone do their best as opposed to telling everyone what to do. -Peggy Anderson It was very supportive. Mr. Bracy was a wonderful principal. We were a team and we worked together as a team. I learned so much, I learned from my teacher peers and I learned as I went along, and I learned from Mr. Bracy. He had such a big heart and he would always say “Close your door and do what you do best, and that’s teaching children.” The school would always be rated above and beyond and that was because of Mr. Bracy. He just cared and that made all the difference.When I think about all the years that I've been teaching, if I think of a time and a place that impacted me the most it would be Coolidge and I attribute that to Mr. Bracy. I'm a good teacher and it's because of Mr. Bracy. He would always have kids in the office, and it wasn’t because they were in trouble it was just because they liked him, and he would give them jolly ranchers. It was a domino effect and it was because of him. I love my students and I care for them and it was because that’s what Mr. Bracy expected of me and everyone else who worked there.I love that you are putting something together to honor Coolidge School. It really was the BEST place to work! Mr. Bracy would be so proud to know this. He loved this school. -Mary Turney Mr. Bracy was the principal, and he knew more about one of my students than I did. Information that couldn’t be found in her file. He just really cared about the kids and he was a wonderful principal to work with. -Linda McKinsey There was excellent leadership under Mr.Bracy.Mr. Bracy knew all of the children by name and he treated the staff with respect. He showed us respect because he expected a lot from us. At the time, I didn’t know nothing about special ed, and he said “Ms. Lusane, I trust you. I’ll trust that you’ll do a good job.We had good days and bad days. And even the bad days were going to be good because we knew that Mr. Bracy had our backs.I didn’t enjoy when Mr. Bracy left. Even the children felt it, the students felt it. They were asking for him. -Joey Lusane |
