New principals hired by Esc. Co. (Ala.) board

The Escambia County (Ala.) Board of Education approved new contracts for four new principals and one new assistant principal at its Thursday, June 18 meeting at W.S. Neal High School cafeteria.

The board voted unanimously approved Leah Fuqua as principal at Huxford Elementary; Sabrina Wilson as principal at Escambia Career Readiness Center; Latoya McMillan as principal at Rachel Patterson Elementary; Takecia Barlow as principal at Escambia County Middle School and Junia Fischer as assistant principal at W.S. Neal High School.

"This was an arduous decision," said School Superintendent John Knott. "I appreciate the board for all they have done to make sure to make a good decision. I want to welcome everybody."

In other business, the board:

-Approved of Child Nutrition Program (CNP) milk products bid to Borden Dairy in the amount of $157,618.70 for the contract period Aug. 1, 2020 to July 31, 2021 (with the board's right t extend the bid for up to five years to the awarded bidder upon agreement by both parties).

-Approved of CNP beverage bid to Trident beverage in the amount of $435.85 (bid price total of unit breakdown by case) for the contract period Aug. 1, 2020 to July 31, 2021 (with the board's right to extend the bid for up to five years to the awarded bidder upon agreement by both parties).

Principal Leah Fuqua (Huxford Elementary)

Fuqua graduated from Scottsboro High School in 1998, then earned a bachelor's degree at Auburn University in 2001. She relocated to Brewton in 2002.

Fuqua then got a master's degree in Early Childhood Special Education at Auburn University at Montgomery and became dean of Special Education and Student Services at Beulah Academy in Pensacola, where she taught special education until 2004. That same year, she got hired to teach special education at Pollard-McCall Junior High School, where she taught until 2015.

In 2015, she moved to Brewton Middle School and served as assistant principal and literary coach until the position for Huxford Elementary School came open recently.

"I want Huxford Elementary to be a very community-oriented and student-centered school community," said Fuqua. "I want it to be where academics are first, where every child learns every day, no matter their race, creed or religion. I don't want to leave anyone behind, it's not appropriate to our special needs population. I want to make sure their needs are being met, and make sure he needs of the parents are being met."

Fuqua said she wants Huxford Elementary School to be number one, where instruction, teaching and learning are paramount. She says within the first six months, she wants open parental involvement days, continuation of the first responder luncheon and possibly add a Veteran's Day program. Her long term goals involve some capital improvements, including a multi-purpose room for a media center and gymnasium, which they don't have. Fuqua said she is looking forward to partnering with various local organizations and municipalities.

"I'm really, really excited," said Fuqua. "It's such a good, community-oriented school and I'm just looking forward to working hard to take the academics to the next level. I not only want it to look really good but I want the kids learning and everybody is doing their very best. We're in it for the kids. Every child can learn and I look forward to this year and great opportunity."

Principal Takecia Barlow (ECMS)

A native of Mobile, Barlow graduated from John L. Leflore High School and attended Talladega College, earning a bachelor's degree in English/Language Arts Education. She then moved to Tampa, Sligh Middle Magnet School as a reading instructor for two years, then the assistant superintendent of Montgomery Schools called Barlow to teach an English class. She said it worked out when she was asked to return to Montgomery because she had illness in her family.

From 2005 until now Barlow has been working in the Montgomery Public School System, except for a two-year period, when she worked at Montgomery Job Corp Center, where she had the opportunity to teach as an English General Education Diploma (GED) instructor, an intensive reading instructional class teacher and work in the high school diploma program, assisting with curriculum structuring with emphasis on mastering math, reading, science and social studies in order to earn a high school diploma.

Barlow's extensive career includes teaching 7th, 8th and 9th grade English in the public school system, years serving as an assistant principal for five years, some as summer principal and summer asst. principal and her experience with Montgomery Job Corp.

Barlow said she found the two principal positions for ECMS and Huxford Elementary online and thought it maybe it was time to move back toward home. She said her parents had been hinting for her to come back home since she had been in Montgomery for 15 years. She said she did some research on the two schools and decided to apply.

She was contacted and offered an interview, which led her to believe it was a step in the right direction.

"I wanted to have an idea about the district," said Barlow. "I already knew a lot about Atmore because I had traveled to Atmore to sing at different gospel singings that were held in the city. My family also enjoys coming to the Pow Wow every November. So I already had some interactions with the city. Some people there know me and I can see it is a family-oriented community."

Barlow said being close-knit can help a school move forward, citing that students will behave and engage better when there is a family member or friend of family nearby to help

"The main thing I want to bring to the table is a progression toward academic achievement and academic growth, on the report card and for the state," said Barlow. "That's a passion for me, as far as our children are concerned. Making sure they are literate both in math and reading. Students who are proficient in those can go anywhere and be successful."

Barlow says her middle school and high school background will help students who are working on mastering skills and those who have mastered then can work on the pre-ACT component. She also wants to encourage the teachers to become more tech-savvy and publicize themselves through social media, which will benefit all students in preparation of the possible continuance of the pandemic.

"We've gotten away from the basics," said Barlow. "If we drill the basics and connect it to real life, then it will stick with the children. They have the ability to reason beyond the credit we give them. They will ask those questions, and I challenge the teachers to flip the script and start asking those 'why' questions, which deal with analysis, data and upper-level skills."

Nervous and excited about her new position, Barlow said she plans to pursue her doctorate in leadership January, and she is not afraid to get in the classroom and teach.

Principal Sabrina Wilson (ECRC)

Flomaton High School Assistant Principal Sabrina Wilson will return to Escambia Career Readiness Center (ECRC) in Brewton as the new principal, since Todd Williamson resigned.

A Brewton native, Wilson graduated from T.R. Miller High School in 2000 and went to Jefferson Davis Community College (now Coastal Alabama Community College) for two years. She attended Auburn University at Montgomery, where she earned a bachelor's degree in education and worked in Century as a Pre-K and kindergarten teacher for three years.

Wilson then earned a master's degree in counseling and went to Flomaton High School, where she was a counselor for five years, then left there to go to ECRC as a career technology counselor for three years.

She was assistant principal for two years at W.S. Neal Elementary School, before earning an administration master's degree. Assistant principal at Flomaton High School from 2017 until now, she will return to ECRC as the assistant principal.

Wilson said she knew there were administrative changes happening at ECRC and it prompted her to keep her options open with excitement about the possibility of returning to a field she really felt passionate about.

"I was watching for it," said Wilson. "It was an expected opening, with Mr. Lanier leaving to go to Coastal and Mr. Williamson going into a director's position."

Wilson said she has a true love for career tech, and she hopes to get interest from all students.

"I think it is important. I want to put a real positive connotation on the career tech field and try to promote it in the community and get support from all local business and industry to support the program."

She sees the need in the workforce today for skilled workers and believes career tech is for all students.

"The need is great for skilled workers, and we've come past the idea that college is the only way to make a good living," said Wilson. "This is a chance that you can go to work and make more money than people with a four-year degree and be pretty much debt free when you get through with it. There are sign-on bonuses for most of those fields. It's about opening opportunities, and not being so closed-minded that the only way to be successful is to go to college for four years or more."

Principal Latoya McMillan (RPES)

Latoya McMillan is no stranger at Rachel Patterson Elementary School, where she taught for three years. This time, however, she will step into the role of principal, vacant since former principal John Brantley resigned earlier this year.

A native of Monroeville, McMillan graduated from Monroeville High School in 1996, then went to Auburn University Montgomery, where she earned a bachelor's degree in early childhood and elementary education. McMillan soon after attained a master's degree in education at Troy University at Montgomery and then a second master's degree in education at Alabama State University.

She got an education specialist degree at University of West Alabama and her first teaching job was at Monroeville Elementary School as kindergarten teacher for 12 years.

She was then placed at Rachel Patterson in 2012 until 2015 and in October, 2015, she transferred to Escambia County Middle School. Her new position will take her back to Rachel Patterson.

"It is a great little school with a big heart," said McMillan. "It has wonderful teachers and great kids."

McMillan said she feels her experience at the middle school level will help her get the students she will be working with better prepared.

"Now I believe I'm better equipped to be an elementary principal," she said. "I know exactly what they need to know. I know how to get them ready for middle school."

She said her goal is to build on the great things the school already has place. She wants to emphasize 2020 as a year of restoration, a chance for students to get back what they feel they lost.

"We want to have resilient pandas," said McMillan. "We are going to work together. There won't be any division, and I'm hoping we can bring everyone together and restore that culture, restore that climate, bring that community together. We want to work with everyone to be successful."

McMillan said she is excited and plans to be on the campus Wednesday and Thursday getting the school ready, working with smaller groups of students in the Head Start program.

McMillan said she looks forward to returning to Patterson, with precaution leading the way in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Safety is paramount as we do this," she said.

Assistant Principal Junia Fisher (W.S. Neal High School)

Fischer graduated from Flomaton High School in 1985 and went to Jefferson Davis Community College, followed by the University of West Florida to earn a bachelor's degree in Exceptional Student Education (ESE).

Fischer student taught at Ransom Middle School in Cantonment and finished out the school year teaching there after she got her degree. Fischer's first full time teaching job was at Chumuckla Elementary School in Santa Rosa County, for five years teaching ESE.

She earned her media specialist certification and worked in the library at Chumuckla Elementary for a couple of years there before she moved to Jay High School in 2003 as an ESE teacher, where she also coached some junior varsity softball and basketball and served as an assistant to varsity basketball.

Fischer got her reading endorsement and taught reading several years, then she eventually returned to the ESE classroom, where she has been the department chair for several years.

Ten years ago Fischer took over the varsity cheerleader squad at Jay and started a competition squad, but said she has been just coaching cheerleading and teaching ESE since then.

"I went back to school and got my masters in educational leadership online through Arizona University and started dabbling in the assistant principal pool of Santa Rosa County," said Fischer. "Once our youngest child graduated, I came back home to Flomaton, where my husband and I built a house, so it was time to come home."

This will be the first position in administration for Fischer and she said she had a principal in the past who worked very closely with her, so she feels confident in her abilities.

"I hope I excite everybody," said Fischer. "Education and young people excite me. I want the community and the staff and the students here to know that I genuinely care about the whole concept of W.S. Neal. I want to help boost the school's pride and bring it up to be the best high school it can possibly be."

Fischer said she is a motivator and she believes happiness and positivity generates and other people will pick up on it, citing her decade as a cheerleading coach as a driving motivator.

"If you're happy and smiling, they will be happy and smiling," said Fischer. "I've coached cheer for 10 years, so I plan to be the biggest cheerleader up here to promote the educational side and the academics and the athletics."