Bryan Elementary’s new principal, Damien Collins, emphasizes military-family support and community partnerships

Damien Collins, the newly introduced principal at Bryan Elementary in Hampton, spoke on HCS Connects about his background, leadership priorities and plans for the school year. Collins, who previously served as an academy principal at Hampton High School, said Bryan serves pre-K through grade 5 and includes an early childhood special education classroom.

Collins said he grew up in a military family, was born in Hawaii and lived in Germany until about age 10 before his family settled in Newport News. "A lot of diversity, a lot of great experiences," he said, describing how those moves shaped his interest in supporting children through transitions.

The principal highlighted a recent district application seeking Purple Star designation for Bryan to recognize and better support military-connected students. "We recently applied for that," Collins said, adding that he is excited about providing stability for families facing frequent moves. Host Kelli Goral said the district expects to learn the designation decision in October.

Collins described his path into school leadership as a transition from classroom teaching. He began in special education at Rivermont Schools, joined Hampton City Schools in the 2021–22 school year at Mary Peak Elementary as a special education teacher and case manager, and later moved into administration after completing his administration and supervision license. "I was an academy principal for three years," Collins said of his time at Hampton High, where he oversaw three academies, including career and technical partnerships.

At Hampton High, Collins pointed to partnerships that gave seniors pathways to work after graduation. "With the Virginia Ship Repair Association Maritime Academy, we had the opportunity to partner with Virginia Peninsula Community College where students had the opportunity to earn four different certifications," he said, calling the certifications a way to help graduates gain employment prospects.

On bringing high-school–level career exposure into elementary settings, Collins and Goral said the district’s Master Plan 2 aims to create K–12 touch points without pushing full academies down to younger grades. Collins said Bryan will increase opportunities for students to meet community partners and learn about careers while maintaining developmentally appropriate elementary instruction.

Collins praised Bryan’s staff and leadership team for creating a supportive environment. "Our staff members are so engaged. They are always looking for opportunities to build their capacity to support our young learners," he said, adding that having a new assistant principal has helped the transition.

Closing the conversation on a personal note, Collins said he enjoys video games and fantasy football and that his favorite NFL team is the Denver Broncos. The HCS Connects segment ended with Goral thanking Collins for joining the program and encouraging viewers to stay connected with Hampton City Schools.

Collins’s key near-term priorities described in the interview include supporting military-connected families, continuing community partnership work to increase student exposure to careers, and building on Bryan’s special education and early childhood programs. Goral said the district expects to announce the Purple Star outcome in October.