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Administration

Principal

Mr. Chris Germain

My name is Chris Germain. I  have over 30 years in Education with many dedicated years in School Administration.

My administrative experience includes:
Assistant Principal and Principal in Craven County Schools from 2001-2004, where I worked at Graham Barden Elementary & Grover C. Fields Middle School. I served as Principal, in Gaston County Schools from 2004-2015, where I was consecutively nominated and a top five finalist for Gaston County Schools principal of the year from 2011-13. I now have had the pleasure of being the principal at Brinson Elementary School for the past 8 years.

I have twin daughters, Ryan and Claire who are seniors in high school. I also have two grown children, Solomon who is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill and Addison who is a graduate of NC State University.

Assistant Principal

Ms. Jessica Szymanski

My name is Jessica Szymanski. I was raised on a rural farm in Macclesfield, North Carolina, where my parents instilled a strong work ethic in me. I have a daughter, Ava, who attends 5th grade at Brinson Memorial. We love to spend time at the beach, cook together, work on jigsaw puzzles, and read books. We have three pets; a four year old labrador named Sadie, a three year old axolotl named Lavender, and a cockatiel named Pikachu that is less than a year old. 

I graduated in 2003 from Barton College in Wilson, North Carolina with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Elementary Education K-6 and Specific Learning Disabilities K-12. I began my educational career at Rolesville Elementary School, in Wake County, where I taught 5th grade Math and Science for 3 years before joining Craven County Schools. I began teaching at Graham A. Barden Elementary in 2006, where I taught 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grades. While working there, I was honored to be WITN 7's Teacher of the Week in February 2015 and recognized as the 2017 Teacher of the Year for Graham A. Barden. I graduated in 2022 with my Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from Western Governors University.

This is my twenty-second year in education and my fourth year as the assistant principal at Brinson Memorial. I am excited to continue to be a part of the Bear Cub family this year and look forward to a successful 2024-2025 school year!