Principals share plans for the school year

August 17, 2019August 15, 2019 Jan McDonald Alabama, Blaine Hathcock, Bridgett Powell, Demopolis, Derrick Hester, kyle kallhoff, Leader in Me, Rotary, Tisha Lewis

All four Demopolis City Schools principals, including three new ones joining the system this year, spoke at the Demopolis Rotary Club Wednesday.

Supt. Kyle Kallhoff, second from left, introduced school principals to the Rotary Club Wednesday. From left are Derrick Hester, Demopolis Middle; Kallhoff; Bridgett Powell, U.S. Jones Elementary; Tisha Lewis, Westside Elementary, and Blaine Hathcock, Demopolis High.

As he introduced the principals, Supt. Kyle Kallhoff said the first five days of school had gone well because of planning and organization. Three vacant teaching positions should be filled soon. Budget hearings will begin in the near future, and he told Rotarians to look for more information the first two weeks in September.

Tisha Lewis, the new Westside Elementary principal is in her 15^th year in education. Lewis said Gov. Kay Ivey will visit the school Sept. 24 as part of the Alabama Bicentennial Celebration. Coming up are Grandparents’ Day in September and the annual Book Fair. She encouraged parents to stay tuned for more school information and events through Westside’s Facebook page and website.

The new principal for U.S. Jones Elementary, Bridgett Powell, has been in education for 28 years, coming to Demopolis from Clark County. Powell also mentioned that USJ will host a Grandparents’ Day for September and a Book Fair this year. Powell said she is proud of her “squad,” what she affectionately calls her faculty and staff at U.S. Jones.

Derrick Hester is the new principal for Demopolis Middle School but not to Demopolis. He worked in the school system seven years ago and is excited to be back home. DMS is a Leader in Me school focusing on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The school expects to send out a quarterly newsletter at the end of each grading period and has plans to host Literacy Nights and STEM nights once a semester.

Blaine Hathcock, the Demopolis High School principal, said AP scores have increased in double digits. Additionally, ACT scores have improved with 50 students scoring 25 or higher with the goal to having 100 scoring a 25 or higher. Hathcock reminded everyone to check out the school system’s new APP. He stressed the importance of preparing students to compete globally.

Club president Ashley Coplin thanked the educators for speaking. “We appreciate the role they play in the ‘Demopolis Difference’,” she said.

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