Photo by Shawn Bowles.
Trussville City Schools announced the selection of Jennifer Bruno as Cahaba Elementary School’s next principal.
As the new principal of Cahaba Elementary School, Jennifer Bruno brings 27 years of educational experience, a background in theater education and a philosophy centered on love, empathy and character development.
Growing up, Bruno loved science, and early on, she wanted to be an astronaut.
“I wanted to be an astronaut, and that was my dream,” Bruno said. “Science was my specialty, I guess, in school. I was good at science and some math, and I just loved it.
“I watched the Challenger disaster when we were home from school on a snow day and was just devastated,” Bruno said, “and then I found out that I couldn’t be an astronaut because I’m blind as a bat. So, it was kind of dream crushing.”
Photos courtesy of Jennifer Bruno.
Jennifer Bruno and Hewitt-Trussville Middle School theater students inside Grand Central Terminal during a New York City trip.
But science was still her favorite thing, and Bruno credits her attraction to teaching to a teacher named Cecilia Byrd. Bruno watched as Ms. Byrd modeled what it meant to be a teacher.
“I mean, just everything — from grading papers to a lot of the management and secretarial part of being a teacher that you don’t always learn,” Bruno recalled. “You always think you get to stand up and write on the board, and there’s a lot more to it than that.”
There was no “ah ha” moment when she knew she wanted to become a teacher. She taught stuffed animals as a little girl, and she also taught dance at a young age.
“I don’t think that you become a teacher,” Bruno said. “I think you were born to be a teacher.”
Bruno was set to be at Cahaba 10 years ago. Instead, she spent the past 10 years building the theater program at Hewitt-Trussville Middle School.
“I was actually supposed to be here,” Bruno said. “When Paine split, I was slated to come to Cahaba. So it just took me 10 years to get here, but this is where I was supposed to be.”
When Bruno first found out she had been selected as the new principal at Cahaba Elementary, she knew it was a big deal.
Jennifer Bruno and students visit the Alice in Wonderland statue in Central Park.
Bruno said, “My thoughts were, ‘I have big shoes to fill. I know for a school that has had only one principal, it’s hard to step into that role because I obviously cannot be a carbon copy of the person in front of me. I know change is hard because change is hard for me.’”
Patrick Martin, superintendent of Trussville City Schools, said Bruno’s skillset combination is rare.
“She’s very talented,” Martin said, “but what I found from her is she’s very humble. Sometimes finding those two sides of a personality is difficult … trying to find someone who’s extremely talented, very confident in what they do but also very humble.”
Martin also said of her ability to connect with kids: “The students are just really drawn to her. She loves the process of teaching, and she loves kids.”
Of Bruno’s ability to follow the only principal Cahaba has ever known, Martin said, “Not many people could step in and have Joy Tyner as a predecessor. I think that Joy would be excited for Jennifer, and I think Jennifer can step in and do that. I think when talking about empathy and caring, the teachers are going to see from her exactly what her students have seen from her in a very successful career in education.”
At the heart of Bruno’s philosophy is a belief that relationships come first. She has one main goal in her role as a teacher and a principal.
Photo by Shawn Bowles.
Jennifer Bruno.
“I want you to know that you were loved. Everything else will come,” Bruno said.
Her years in theater reinforced lessons she now hopes to instill throughout Cahaba Elementary: communication, empathy, teamwork, adaptability and learning to understand people whose perspectives differ from your own.
“Everything that I teach in a theater classroom is a real-world application, with the exception of stage directions,” Bruno said. “When you are learning to communicate, when you are learning to work together in an ensemble, when you have to get along with people, when you have to know that you’re not always going to get your way — all of those things — empathy.”
Bruno’s students feel a connection to her and enjoy a close-knit environment.
One of her former students, Harper Breaseale, confirmed that Bruno encourages empathy: “She teaches you lots of life skills and lessons about empathy and how you should think and put yourself in other people’s shoes.”
Harper said, “Mrs. Bruno felt more like a friend, and she wanted to know you on a deeper level … you could tell her anything, and she would be interested.”
Harper also said, “In sixth grade, I never would have considered doing the show … she built up my confidence so much that I tried out for a solo and got that in eighth grade, and I never would have done that before.”
Bruno shared a real-world connection with her students.
Bruno said, “Every time that we would play a theater game, I would say, ‘How can you use this in class and on the stage? How can you use this in another classroom? How can you use this outside of this building?’”
Harper shared, “I saw the impact that she made on my life and other lives, and I just want to try to do the same thing and maybe become a teacher.”
Jennifer Bruno and Hewitt-Trussville Middle School theater students gather outside The Varsity in Atlanta during a competition trip.
Strengthening relationships is always a goal for Bruno. She wants to work together with parents, teachers and the community for the sake of the children.
“I will always, always do what I think is best for the children,” Bruno said.
Bruno spent 10 years building a theater program at HTMS, and it won’t be easy for her to leave the comfort of that place.
“Theater has been a part of my life in some form or fashion since I was 6, dance since I was 3,” Bruno recalled.
She continued with her hopes for her new role.
“I’ve asked them to be patient with me,” Bruno said. “I might not walk in here in my three-piece suit sounding all sophisticated. I like to speak with funny accents and be silly and sarcastic with the kids, and that’s the way that I show my love and the way that I behave with people. I don’t want to have to change that just because I have a new title.”
