The Covington County School District has two new principals and one new assistant principal. They will begin their new duties July 1.
Collins Elementary School will have two new leaders with April McCullum Johnson as the principal and RaDonna Lynn Broom as assistant principal. Joanna Barnes is the new principal at Hopewell Elementary School.
Johnson was assistant principal at Collins Elementary with 19 of her 20 years of school career as a Covington County educator as an elementary teacher, a teacher of gifted students, and an assistant principal for four years.
Johnson graduated from Collins High School and earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from William Carey University. Becoming the CES principal is important to her.
“It is an honor and a privilege to serve as the instructional leader of such an amazing school,” she said. “At CES we strive for the consistent and universal implementation of best practices in all of our classrooms. Our goal is to provide an excellent educational environment that enables our students to become independent readers, writers and thinkers.”
Broom has been an educator for 25 years, serving as a teacher of students from pre-K through 10th grade, including students with developmental delays, and as the librarian at CES for four years. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s in educational leadership from William Carey University. Her four years as librarian has made an impression on Broom.
“During my four years as the librarian, I have grown to love the entire CES school community,” she said. “The CES students are willing to learn, the parents want their children to be successful, and the community wants to see CES offer an excellent program for the students.”
Broom said Collins Elementary School will stand out in the next year.
“The dedicated, hard-working staff has proved themselves to be the best anywhere,” she said. “It is a privilege to work alongside them. My vision is that by May 2021, the students of CES will experience unimaginable academic success.”
Barnes has had 18 years of experience as an educator, which includes time as a teacher, a math and ELA academic coach, and as an assistant principal for the last nine years. She has a bachelor’s degree from The University of Southern Mississippi, a master’s degree from William Carey University, and is completing a doctorate in Educational Leadership at the University of Southern Mississippi.
After living in Covington County for 19 years, Barnes is excited to be there.
“I am elated to serve the community in which I live,” she said. “I look forward to immersing myself entirely in our school and our community. My passion is and always will be educating students to become lifelong learners by ensuring academic excellence.”
Barnes said connecting with a hard-working staff and a strong community will make a difference.
“One of my first goals is to build relationships with teachers, students, families, and community partners to encourage strong alliances to advance a culture of excellence at Hopewell Elementary School,” she said.