Dave Dunn leads with his heart. It’s part of his personal and professional philosophy, and the guiding principles by which he steers the staff at Martha Brown Middle School (MB): lead with the heart, embrace relationships and never stop growing.

Dunn credits those principles for what he calls his “great journey” – the 45 years he has spent as a teacher and administrator at the Fairport Central School District. At the end of June 2022, Dunn will retire from his position as MB principal after 27 years at the helm. 

“This is my great journey,” said Dunn. “Every day is different, every year is different, but I have welcomed every challenge.”

His time in Fairport started long before he became principal at MB. A lifelong resident, he graduated from Fairport High School in 1973, then worked in the District’s Facilities team in college during his summer breaks. After school, Dunn returned to Fairport to teach math, and ended up learning how to teach all over again. 

“I guess I look at my career as three phases – I was a young teacher, just 22 years old when I started at Fairport. I didn’t know what I didn’t know!” said Dunn. 

Dunn shared how his colleagues helped him on his journey.

“They basically said to me, ‘this is how we do things’. I was really shaped to be a teacher. I was always an underdog kind of a guy…I’ve always been wired to take care of people who have less,” he said.

During his classroom days, Dunn leapt at the chance to participate in extracurricular activities, including coaching athletics and participating in math club. He spent 10 years as a summer school principal at Monroe #1 BOCES, getting more classroom and administrative experience and being mentored by teachers he calls, “the best staff from all the schools in the area.”

In 1995, the then-interim Fairport Superintendent Timothy J. McElheran took a chance on Dunn, who had lobbied hard for the principalship at MB. 

Dunn says, “He [McElheran] had the guts to trust a classroom teacher as principal. I told him, ‘Tim, I won’t let you down.’”

That year, Dunn became the administrator of a school at which, just days prior, he had been a classroom teacher. 

“I quickly learned how to listen,” he said. “I was principal now of teachers I had worked with…I was shaped by the teachers who had been there when the school started. These were legendary teachers.”

Dunn extends special recognition to the mental health staff at MB and in Fairport, saying, “[They] taught me so much about the social and emotional needs of students. Our most fragile students have always been my heroes for coming in every day in spite of the challenges they may face at home or at school.”

As a building, MB defined Dunn. 

“My vision has always been to hire the best, and they will push me to be my best…it’s neat to feel like we’re all in this together,” he said. “One of my mantras is to never forget what it’s like to be a student. As an administrator, I have channeled that further – never forget what it’s like to be a teacher.”

Of his staff at MB, Dunn says the adage, “if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life,” rings true. “The staff that I work with have been a second family to me. Over my tenure as principal, we have celebrated many good times and had to endure many difficult times as a family…the camaraderie and friendships made the difficult times easier.”

Dunn says he owes much of his success to his parents and family, who taught him the value of hard work, doing the right thing and being kind. He lives in Fairport with his wife, Cindy, and their three children, Brandon, Vanessa and Miranda. Dunn says he chose to raise his family here in Fairport, and brought his children through the district and his school. 

“Things happen for a reason. For me, for my family, being right here in Fairport has worked well for us. Being a parent in Fairport and not just an administrator…when you see it through the eyes of a parent of a kid in this school, then you know how other parents are seeing you.”

Dunn says his time at MB may be coming to a close, but he is far from done with Fairport. 

“I am not counting down! I know I will find my way. I am the kind of guy who wants to keep busy doing something…I enjoy being a product of Fairport and a part of Fairport. I want to give back as much as I can after I have been given so much.”

Fairport’s Superintendent of Schools Brett Provenzano says Dunn has left his mark on the District. 

“Dave is a ‘light’ for us all; he has an unwavering and irrepressible spirit for Martha Brown and our school community,” said Provenzano. “Dave sets the standard with his high level of investment and C.A.R.E. for everything MB and Fairport!”

Dunn is grateful to all of the Superintendents he has worked for throughout his career and his administrative colleagues. “It has been my pleasure to work alongside some of the best educational leaders and advocates for students and staff.”

Dunn says his career in education isn’t over. He hopes to partner with local colleges to help encourage students to pursue a teaching career. He says the investment has incredible returns. 

“When that former student writes you a letter, and talks about something you don’t even remember, and how it touched their lives…there’s no profession more powerful than that.”

Dave Dunn leads with his heart. When asked for his final reflections on his decades-long career as a leader in Fairport, and as the principal of MB, he had two words:

“No regrets.”