NORTHDALE — Thomas Morrill never expected to be principal of Gaither High.
Certainly not when he was part of the second graduating class in 1987.
“But I did tell them (when he was appointed to principal,) that I would happily accept,” Morrill said with a smile.
The appointment in 2013 came unexpectedly. He was principal at Chamberlain High before Gaither, but returning to his alma mater represented a full circle moment — not only as a graduate but because his mother was one of the school’s first administrators.
“She opened up Gaither, and ironically, she was a teacher at Chamberlain,” Morrill said.
Morrill has spent much of this year reflecting on Gaither’s 40th year. Over the decades, students have come and gone, including famous alumni such as actors Channing Tatum and Brittany Snow and Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash.
Throughout this school year, administrations, students and alumni have celebrated the milestone with events and remembrances. Morrill recently took time to reflect on what Gaither has meant to him, recalling when other nearby schools opened to help overcrowding, specifically Sickles High in 1997 and Steinbrenner High in 2009.
“This school was on double session when my mom was an administrator,” he said. “It was insane.
“12:41,” he added. “I'll never forget it. (At) 12:41, we got out (of school). We were in class at 6:50 a.m.”
Despite changes over time, Morrill says enrollment remains steady at 2,000 students each school year. He’s proud that even as demographics in the Northdale and Carrollwood areas have evolved, the student population remains diverse and cohesive.
“Demographics have changed so much when I was here,” Morrill said. “We were over 95% white and now we're 48% Hispanic … but I think we pride ourselves that the kids get along very well with one another coming from so many different backgrounds.
“And you’ll see the flags that are flying in the cafeteria,” he added. “Those are important to me to symbolize where our kids have come from and they can identify — they know that they're here in America, but they know Puerto Rico's up there, Cuba's up there, Dominican Republic's up there. They're all represented.
We even had a parent come to us and say there’s no Brazil up there, so we put Brazil up there.
“It’s such a great environment.”
Morrill also reflected on Gaither’s baseball team winning a state title in 2016. Guided by coach Nelson North — and overseen by the late legendary Frank Permuy, who started the program and whose name now adorns the school’s field — the Cowboys brought home one of a few team championships in the school’s 40-year history.
“(Frank) was still happy for the boys, but I always knew he wanted to win a state title and he didn't get a chance as a head coach (for Gaither) to do that in the house that Frank built out there,” Morrill said.
“But we got that title in 2016, and we all got rings. I got a ring in my box.”
