Local News in Brief : Grant High Boasts Principal of Year

The principal of Ulysses S. Grant High School in Van Nuys has been named the state’s Principal of the Year by the National Assn. of Secondary Schools Principals.

Robert J. Collins, 46, was nominated for the award by a committee of administrators based on the school’s impressive academic achievements and community involvement, a spokesman for the national association said.

Last spring, Grant led the state in the number of students taking and passing advanced placement tests, which give college credit to students in subjects such as calculus, physics and U.S. history.

“We had more than 500 students take AP exams, and there were only three other schools in the state that had more than 400 students take them, “ Collins said.

Nearly 75% of those students passed.

Grant’s student body is 57% minority, mostly Latino. About a third of its students are bussed from the downtown Los Angeles area and nearly a quarter have been living in the United States for three years or less, Collins said.

“We expect each youngster to gain a firm, well-developed character,” said Collins, who insists that students take school work home each night.

Collins, who routinely spends 18 hours a day at work, credits teachers, students and parents with the school’s success. “We’ve got the highest participation in our Parent Teacher Student Assn. of any school in the country,” he said.