Gant
Walnut Grove Elementary School will have a new principal next fall.
Heather Gant will take over the reins from Principal Brian Proctor, who announced he will be leaving his post at the end of the spring semester, according to a news release from Center Grove Community School Corporation.
Center Grove schools’ Board of Trustees approved Gant’s appointment during its Jan. 5 meeting. Gant will be Walnut Grove’s second principal. Proctor has served as principal since the school opened in Aug. 2019.
Gant, currently the principal at Triton Central Elementary School in the Northwestern Consolidated School District of Shelby County, is familiar with Center Grove schools. Before her stint at Triton Central, she taught first and second grade at Maple Grove Elementary School for 15 years. Gant also served as an instructional coach at Maple Grove before she was hired at North Grove Elementary School, where she served as assistant principal for three years, according to the release.
During her time at Center Grove schools, she was named Maple Grove’s teacher of the year in 2016 and was a Center Grove Legacy Award winner in 2016 and 2021, according to the release.
Gant’s experience as an educator and administrator in the school district will bode well for Walnut Grove, said Rich Arkanoff, superintendent of Center Grove schools.
“We are very excited to have Mrs. Gant return to Center Grove,” he said in the release. “Heather was a fantastic teacher, instructional coach and assistant principal for us. Her instructional expertise, passion for serving students and experience as a principal are a perfect fit for Walnut Grove.”
Gant earned both a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in education technology from Indiana University. She followed that up with a master’s degree in educational administration from Butler University, according to the release.
Gant is excited to return to the school district she called home for about two decades, she said.
“While extremely grateful for the experience and relationships established at Triton Central, I am truly grateful and blessed for this opportunity to return home and serve the district that has given so much to me and my family,” Gant said in the release. “I can’t wait to get to know the staff, students, parents and community that make Walnut Grove an exceptional educational experience for our future leaders.”
