Higgins welcomes new role at Bristol Aggie

DIGHTON — As an algebra teacher at  Bristol County Agricultural High School for four years, Brian Higgins said his top priority was helping students — both in and out of the classroom.

Higgins, who was hired as Bristol Aggie’s new assistant principal earlier this summer, said that his priorities have not changed upon entering into what is the third-highest administrative position at the school.

“At the end of the day, student success is always my number one priority,” said Higgins, 31, who grew up in Taunton and graduated from the city’s public school system.

“I don’t necessarily care about test scores, I really care about you, the student, and making sure you’re doing what you love.”

With his hiring as assistant principal, Higgins replaced Robin VanRotz, who has assumed the position of director of external affairs and community partnerships.

Higgins said that his new duties would mostly center on student services and outreach for staff and parents, a contrast to the more traditional administrative roles of Superintendent Adele Sands and Principal/Assistant Superintendent Kevin Braga.

As a “first step” for members of the school community seeking assistance and guidance, Higgins said that he looks forward to meeting with and getting to know more students and their families than in previous years.

“I like to think of myself as a resource,” he said, adding that he hopes to be "fair, firm, and consistent."

“As assistant principal, I’ll deal with most of the student population. It’s good for building relationships between teachers, parents and students.”

According to Braga, Higgins was hired because of his positive relationship with students and faculty and his educational background in mathematics.

“When you’re building an administrative team, you want people to complement you — his background is very helpful,” said Braga, who formerly taught history.

“When I first came here last year, Brian was a teacher I would go to for advice all the time. I’ve used him in teacher leadership roles in the past, too, so grooming him to be assistant principal should be a smooth transition.”

As a math teacher, Higgins said that he learned first-hand the importance of engaging students and finding ways to make the subject more accessible for all – even those who are seemingly discouraged.

Higgins said that he was one of three teachers who host one-hour SAT preparation sessions before and after-school in each month leading up to students’ respective testing dates.

One of his proudest accomplishments, he said, was watching the progress of a student whose score increased by more than 150 points (out of 800) from his first testing attempt.

“I’ve always been interested in helping people learn math. It’s a subject where one bad teacher can certainly have an impact on a student's enjoyment of it,” he said.

Higgins — who grew up with four brothers — is one of four members of his family to enter into the educational field: his brother currently serves as principal of Weymouth Public Schools and his parents both worked at Taunton High School.

His father, Peter Higgins, helped to start the Taunton High TV Studio with Steven Jacques and taught television production courses.

Aside from his work in class at Bristol Aggie, Higgins co-founded the school’s archery club and — in response to the addition of several high-end agricultural drones — is one of four school staff members to hold a commercial drone pilot’s license.

“They’re a great tool for kids to use for photography and not just vocational subjects,” he said.

Higgins graduated from Bridgewater State University with an undergraduate degree in mathematics and said that he is currently taking courses to earn his master’s degree in administration.

Before he was hired at Bristol Aggie, Higgins worked for one year as a substitute teacher at Taunton High School and before that, worked at the Dighton-based Cooperative Productions visiting group homes to assist those with disabilities.

His wife, Ashley, currently works at Cooperative Productions and — in another piece of good news for the Higgins family this year — gave birth to a baby girl, Ryan, in April.

The couple also has a 2-year-old son, Callan.

“My family is my life right now. I try to help my wife as much as possible,” Higgins said.

Higgins said that he applied to Bristol Aggie nearly five years ago with the expectation that as a vocational school, it would certainly be a different experience than at Taunton High School.

His expectations were exceeded that day, and were continuously exceeded with each day he came into work.

“These students work hard, day in and day out. I want to make sure that spirit stays alive,” he said, in reference to the time and dedication students put into their studies.

“When I interviewed here, I realized that it’s a very different place. Everyone you meet is genuinely nice, and people really care about you — it’s a family.”