“My first goal was to be the next Michael Jordan,” laughed Percy Brown Jr. as he reflected on the full-circle moment from his very first job in education, working at former Southside Elementary School, to now leading as the principal of the school, which was recently renamed Lorey Mann Carey Elementary.
Brown is a lifelong Madisonian, originally from South Madison. While teaching wasn’t his first path in life, something called to him as he felt a connection to the youth and his neighborhood — but the journey took many turns to find where he needed to be.
His roots are deeply entrenched in Madison, with his parents having been homeowners on the South Side for over 40 years and having lived in the area for about 55 years. Brown still remembers his time as a Southside Raider, residing in Brighton Square Apartments, going to Mt. Zion Baptist Church …staples in his neighborhood that helped shape who he is today…