Deputy superintendent receives statewide honor

GROSSE POINTES/DETROIT — One of the Grosse Pointe Public School System’s top administrators has been recognized as an exceptional education official in the state.

Deputy Superintendent of Educational Services Roy Bishop Jr. was one of about 20 educators from across Michigan to receive a Leadership in Education award during the African American Leadership Awards ceremony Oct. 1 at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

“I’m definitely honored,” Bishop said by phone. “It’s a humbling experience.”

He said the ceremony was attended by state and federal leaders, including U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit, and state Rep. Joe Tate, D-Detroit. Tate is also Michigan’s first Black Speaker of the House.

Bishop’s award was acknowledged at an Oct. 10 meeting of the Grosse Pointe Board of Education at Brownell Middle School in Grosse Pointe Farms.

“I am very proud of Dr. Bishop,” interim Superintendent Christian Fenton said by email. “He is a great asset to our school system and to the greater Detroit community. He is a wonderful role model, and example to not only the African-American community, but all those in leadership roles. I count it a privilege to call him a colleague and friend. He has worked his way up through the roles of teacher, principal, central administrator and someday soon, I am sure he will be the superintendent of schools somewhere in our community. This is a well-deserved award.”

Bishop has been with the GPPSS for more than seven years, starting out as principal of Mason Elementary School in fall 2016. Before coming to GPPSS, he spent nine years with Birmingham Public Schools, where he was an elementary classroom teacher, districtwide curriculum facilitator and assistant principal at elementary and middle schools.

Bishop earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from Eastern Michigan University and a Master of Arts degree in curriculum and instruction from Marygrove College. He holds an education specialist degree in leadership and a doctorate in education from Oakland University.

This marked the 10th annual African American Leadership Awards ceremony. The awards sprang from an idea former Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence had in 2014 to bring together African American elected, business and community leaders. According to the African American Leadership Awards website, each award “recognizes and salutes public servants, business leaders, and community leaders for their contributions to the African American community locally, regionally and statewide.”

Bishop attended the awards ceremony with his wife, Latoya Bishop, and their three children: daughters London, 13, and Leighton, 11, and son Roy Jr., 9. The family lives in Grosse Pointe Woods; Latoya Bishop also works for the city.

“I have to thank my family for being in my corner,” Bishop said. “I think of all the individuals who have come before me and supported me along the way.”