Administrators

Lisa Newlyn, Principal

This is my seventh year as Principal of Robert Gray Middle School, and it is truly an honor to serve the community I have called home for more than 50 years. As a former Robert Gray student and the parent of former Robert Gray students, I feel a deep connection to our school and to the families we serve. I especially value the opportunity to support students during their important, and sometimes challenging, middle school years.

My goal as a school leader is to ensure that every student is known, supported, and challenged to reach their full potential. I am committed to helping all students meet their academic goals while also ensuring their social and emotional needs are met. Fundamental to my work as Principal is a belief that every student deserves the opportunity to succeed.

I have worked in Portland Public Schools since 1994 and have served in a variety of roles throughout my career. Before coming to Robert Gray, I was Principal of Forest Park Elementary School for six years. There, I worked to strengthen school-wide systems, build academic and behavioral interventions and enrichment opportunities for students, engage families in decision-making, and partner with the broader community to support the school. Throughout my leadership, I have remained committed to integrating equity and cultural proficiency into our work and strengthening professional learning communities.

During my first 17 years in PPS, I served as a teacher at Woodlawn, Humboldt, Hayhurst, and Arleta. My work included reading intervention, Title I programming, mathematics grant work, teacher mentoring, committee leadership, and coordinating Lego Robotics teams. I participated in the district's aspiring administrator program and moved into school leadership in 2011 as an assistant principal at Beverly Cleary School. In 2014, I became Principal of Forest Park Elementary School before joining the Robert Gray community.

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Western Oregon State College and a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from Portland State University.

As I begin my seventh year at Robert Gray, I remain grateful for the opportunity to serve this community and excited about the work ahead. Together, we will continue to support our students, embrace change and growth, and build a future of Gray Today, Greatness Tomorrow.

Ms. Karly Lefferts

Bio coming soon!