Nanette Newman

Mrs. Nanette Newman brings more than 30 years of experience in education to her position as director of programs at Graland. Since joining the school in 2009, she has served in a variety of teaching and leadership roles, including learning specialist, classroom teacher, department chair, and administrator. She is passionate about creating programs that inspire curiosity, foster growth, and help students reach their full potential. Ask her which national park is next on her travel list!

Joined Graland In
2009

Favorite Interaction With Students
My favorite interaction with students is teaching my geometry class.

Most Inspiring Graland Program
Graland’s visual and performing arts program. It is an impactful program in which students have opportunities to take creative risks, challenge prevailing thought, expand perspective-taking skills, and perform with courage, skills I admire in our student body.

Why I Work at Graland
I work at Graland because it is a place of extensive possibilities for students and teachers.

Favorite Graland Moment
The pervasive joy that I see on campus from students every day, from the squeals of delight expressed by our little ones in Lower School to the unbridled enthusiasm and humor of our Middle School students. Graland is simply a great place to be.

Graland Trip I Love
I love them all. Each trip is unique, carefully planned, and a valuable experience for student learning and growth.

Professional Passion
I have always felt the pull to work toward the ideal that education has the responsibility of raising a generation of students who can cope with the world, understand its complexity, and bring about necessary change.

Lifelong Learner
After more than 30 years in education, I continue to learn from students, colleagues, and the ever-evolving field of teaching and learning.

Fun Fact
I worked in Yellowstone National Park, sawing down dead trees with a two-person crosscut saw.

Life Goal
A life of health and purpose.

Outside Graland, I'm…
Happiest spending time with my husband and grown children, hiking, floating down a lazy river, or exploring a national park.

Other Than Graland, I Support
The CU Foundation, PBS, NPR, the Alzheimer's Association, Stanford Health, and The Roeper School

Hometown
Flat Rock, Michigan

Favorite Childhood Memory
My siblings and I freely explored the fields and woods of Michigan with no adult supervision or constraints except the rule of heading home when the streetlights came on.

Education
Master’s in Gifted Education from Wayne State University
Bachelor’s in Education from Oakland University