Bruce Grenon
Born in 1946, the fourth of six children, Bruce grew up in East Haven. His father was the successful town doctor who passed away when Bruce was only fifteen. From his father Bruce inherited his love of the water, boating and an appreciation for the value of a dollar. Bruce learned early that life was not always easy and that if you wanted something you had to work hard for it.
Bruce graduated from East Haven H.S. in 1964 and went on to SCSU where he received a B.S. degree in Intermediate and Upper Level teaching. In 1973 he received his Master’s Degree from Fairfield University in Administration and Supervision.
In 1968 Bruce began his teaching career as a fifth grade teacher at the old Canoe Brook School in Branford. From the beginning, Bruce earned the reputation as an outstanding teacher who really enjoyed his students but he also was a strict disciplinarian. This three-room schoolhouse was where Bruce met an attractive young blond music teacher from Kansas by the name of Sandy Bell. They were married the next summer.
In 1970 Bruce was asked by the director of Pupil Services if he would take a transfer to the old junior high and teach a special education class for twenty students with learning disabilities. At first Bruce was hesitant but when she offered him an 8% raise if he would take the job, Bruce was there. What Alice Tippet didn't tell Bruce was that the junior high had over seven hundred students, that there was not yet any state definition for learning disabilities, that he would have the twenty students all day and that many of them had been identified as having severe behavioral problems. Not only was Bruce able to handle this difficult assignment but he also won over the students by designing a behavioral management approach. The class received daily rewards such as spending the last period in the gym where Bruce could re ward or punish them by means of a very physical basketball game. Individuals with twenty days of good behavior would find Bruce helping them earn their way back into regular education classes long before mainstreaming was heard of.
When the Intermediate School opened in 1972, Bruce was seen as the head of the special education staff and his teaching methods became the model by which the special education department still operates today. In 1976 he officially assumed the title of "Emotionally Mal-Adjusted Teacher".
In 1980 he left the classroom and became the full time supervisor of Special Education K-12. Finally in 1991 he was named Director of Pupil Services, a position he held until his retirement in 1993.
In 1995 Bruce came out of retirement to assume the directorship of the Shoreline Children's Center, a special education facility that serviced the Shoreline and was located at the old Branford Hills School. He turned this into a highly respected school for students with emotional and social problems.
Throughout his career Bruce left a lasting impression on the Branford Community. He was president of the Branford Education Association before binding arbitration, has been on the Branford Human Services Board for the last ten years and a member of the Community Action Team, along with numerous other committees. He has always earned his reputation as a stern but fair leader in everything that he has been involved in.
Bruce and Sandy have two married children, Robert and his wife Julie and Alicia and her husband Steve. While Bruce still enjoys the water and boating, the greatest joy for he and Sandy is time spent with their grandchildren, Garrett and Jack with a third one on the way.
Bruce graduated from East Haven H.S. in 1964 and went on to SCSU where he received a B.S. degree in Intermediate and Upper Level teaching. In 1973 he received his Master’s Degree from Fairfield University in Administration and Supervision.
In 1968 Bruce began his teaching career as a fifth grade teacher at the old Canoe Brook School in Branford. From the beginning, Bruce earned the reputation as an outstanding teacher who really enjoyed his students but he also was a strict disciplinarian. This three-room schoolhouse was where Bruce met an attractive young blond music teacher from Kansas by the name of Sandy Bell. They were married the next summer.
In 1970 Bruce was asked by the director of Pupil Services if he would take a transfer to the old junior high and teach a special education class for twenty students with learning disabilities. At first Bruce was hesitant but when she offered him an 8% raise if he would take the job, Bruce was there. What Alice Tippet didn't tell Bruce was that the junior high had over seven hundred students, that there was not yet any state definition for learning disabilities, that he would have the twenty students all day and that many of them had been identified as having severe behavioral problems. Not only was Bruce able to handle this difficult assignment but he also won over the students by designing a behavioral management approach. The class received daily rewards such as spending the last period in the gym where Bruce could re ward or punish them by means of a very physical basketball game. Individuals with twenty days of good behavior would find Bruce helping them earn their way back into regular education classes long before mainstreaming was heard of.
When the Intermediate School opened in 1972, Bruce was seen as the head of the special education staff and his teaching methods became the model by which the special education department still operates today. In 1976 he officially assumed the title of "Emotionally Mal-Adjusted Teacher".
In 1980 he left the classroom and became the full time supervisor of Special Education K-12. Finally in 1991 he was named Director of Pupil Services, a position he held until his retirement in 1993.
In 1995 Bruce came out of retirement to assume the directorship of the Shoreline Children's Center, a special education facility that serviced the Shoreline and was located at the old Branford Hills School. He turned this into a highly respected school for students with emotional and social problems.
Throughout his career Bruce left a lasting impression on the Branford Community. He was president of the Branford Education Association before binding arbitration, has been on the Branford Human Services Board for the last ten years and a member of the Community Action Team, along with numerous other committees. He has always earned his reputation as a stern but fair leader in everything that he has been involved in.
Bruce and Sandy have two married children, Robert and his wife Julie and Alicia and her husband Steve. While Bruce still enjoys the water and boating, the greatest joy for he and Sandy is time spent with their grandchildren, Garrett and Jack with a third one on the way.