Meet the Residential Team

Upper School Dorm Heads

BK Grimmer

BK Grimmer brings a wealth of experience to her post as dean of girls. Before joining the Student Life staff at Principia College, where she responded to a wide range of student needs as interim assistant dean of students, she worked as a DiscoveryBound regional manager, planning events for teens. She also spent years teaching middle school and raising two daughters. She was even a high school cheerleading coach for several years early in her career! An experienced mentor, BK is also a trained Title IX coordinator.

“Young women have unlimited potential,” BK comments “and when that energy is harnessed and fostered, amazing things can happen! I love mentoring girls through the teen years, guiding them to see their innate beauty, worth, and joy—with great awe. Building a strong sisterhood among our students strengthens our community, and it’s exciting to be part of that journey. Our goal is to lead with love, guide with empathy, and love with strength—ALL of our students!”   

Dean BK and her husband, Brett Grimmer, have five adult daughters between them—three of whom attended Principia College and two of whom lived in the Girls’ Dorm as high school seniors!

Clark Shutt

Dean of Boys Clark Shutt has served as the Boys’ Dorm Residential Head since 2008. Before that, he directed Camp Leelanau, a camp for Christian Scientists in northern Michigan, for over 30 years. When asked to describe how he works with young men, his response is simple: “Well, it’s not rocket science. It’s love.”

“We use a lot of teamwork principles to help the boys learn to take initiative, especially when it comes to being a good brother to those on their hall and to their friends,” Clark explains. “We challenge them to be unselfish and to strengthen their talents and leadership skills. Our goal is for them to understand that to be truly successful, they’ve got to do more than what’s merely expected. Ultimately, though, we want to help them cultivate a spiritual depth of thought and realize their capacity to heal.”

Clark is joined in the dorm by his wife, Spring, a Journal-listed Christian Science nurse. Clark and Spring both have adult children.

Middle School Dorms

Karin Heath

In the Middle School Girls’ Dorm, Karin Heath (C’89) provides the perfect blend of playful and principled parenting, an art she developed during more than 20 years of co-directing Camp Bow-Isle, a camp for Christian Scientists in Canada. Karin enjoys working with the girls as “we learn how to trust one another and to be responsible for our actions,” she explains. And while she and the girls spend most of their time doing things together, she’s careful to maintain “a balance between [allowing] independence and being watchful.”

Karin and her husband, Jon (C’90), have three children—two of whom have graduated from the Upper School. Their youngest attends the Upper School.

Summer Wright

Summer Wright brings a variety of experiences to his role as houseparent in the Middle School Boys’ Dorm. He has worked with young people in Sunday School and camp and as an Asher House Manager and National Leadership Council class leader. Prior to taking coming to Principia in 2016, he served as a Journal-listed Christian Science practitioner.

Life in the dorm is full of joy, growth, spontaneity, structure, and brotherhood.” As for any challenges that arise, they “only help us grow in individual character and as a group.”

Summer is joined by his wife, Ashley (US’09, C’15) and their daughter, Makana, and son, Rise.