Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By JOYANNA LOVE/ Managing Editor

Two local principals have been recognized at the regional level as Principal of the Year.

Christy Mims of Jemison Middle and Ron Pinson of Chilton County High School have been selected by their peers as the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools District 3 Principal of the Year for their divisions.

They were recognized at this year’s CLAS convention.

“I feel very honored and blessed,” Pinson said.

The area president of CLAS, David Sikes, had told Pinson that he had nominated him for the High School Principal of the Year recognition.

Mims also received a call from CLAS notifying her that she was the District 3 Middle School Principal of the Year.

“I was very shocked,” Mims said. “It’s a great honor. I was very surprised.”

This is Mims first year as principal after serving as assistant principal of JMS. She attended CLAS conferences for assistant principals during that time and has been an active member of the organization for the past seven years.

The district includes Chilton, Dallas, Bibb, Autauga, Montgomery, Lowndes, Perry, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Sumter and Wilcox counties. Nominations are voted on by principals in the district.

Each of the districts chooses an honoree each year.

Mims said “your work ethic, your dedication to the job and also you want what is best for your faculty and good for your students and being able to be supportive to other professionals” were factors principals considered when voting for principal of the year.

District honorees fill out an application for Alabama Principal of the Year. A committee then selects three people to attend interviews.

Pinson is one of those three for Alabama High School Principal of the Year.

“I was able to highlight some of the programs that I implemented here at Chilton County High School,” Pinson said.

These programs focused on building relationships within the school and the community as well as celebrating student academic achievement.

During the interview, Pinson was asked about what he did for professional development, challenges at the school and test scores.

“Through the relationships with parents, teachers and students I felt that the scores would rise, and they did in our first two years,” Pinson said. “This past year we were named in the top 100 high schools in the state.”

He said the school has “an amazing staff, tremendous student body and wonderful parents and community.”

Pinson has been named a finalist in the running as one of the top three in the state.

“There are over 500 high school principals in the state,” Pinson said. “To be chosen as the top three is a huge honor.”

A final decision on the award will be made in the next few weeks. Honorees are surprised by the recognition committee showing up at their school.