New principals have been named for Northridge High School and Paul W. Bryant High School, approved by the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education on Tuesday.
Mr. Eric Hines, current principal of Eastwood Middle, will be the new principal of Bryant starting June 1. Hines, an eight year veteran of the Tuscaloosa City Schools, has served as principal of Eastwood since 2017. He previously served as an assistant principal at Westlawn Middle School and was a social studies teacher before that.
Dr. Jessica Williams, current assistant principal of Northridge High School, will be the new NHS principal, starting June 1. Williams has worked in education for a decade, with the last four years at Northridge High School. During her time at NHS, she served as an English teacher, department chair, and assistant principal.
Williams said she is honored to be the next principal of NHS.
"This is a tremendous opportunity," Williams said. "I am very excited to lead the students and teachers at Northridge High School. We have many wonderful things happening at NHS. However, there are always areas for improvement and growth. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve in this capacity."
Some of the areas she hopes to focus on at Northridge are continuing to focus on high expectations and accountability for all, while continuing to emphasize the importance of student involvement and school spirit.
Hines said he is excited about the opportunity to continue to push the needle of progress forward as principal, but at the high school level. His top priorities at Bryant will be listening to students, staff and families and building a positive culture to progress the school forward, he said.
"My first task as principal is to listen," Hines said. "It is very important that I provide a safe space for students and their families to convey what they desire in our school and work together to make those things a reality. Next, we will create the capacity for productive relationships that are built upon mutual respect and admiration."
Hines said he will also work to help share the school's story and the positive work that is taking place within its walls, helping increase the momentum of forward progress and boosting school pride.
Williams will replace current NHS principal Dr. Tygar Evans and Hines will replace current PWBHS principal Lydia Edwards, who announced in March they would not be renewing their contracts with the Tuscaloosa City Schools. The positions are two of the most critical positions in the system, leading two of the city's three high schools.
Superintendent Dr. Mike Daria said it was vital that TCS find two qualified, experienced administrators with proven track records to fill the roles and push the two high schools to excel even higher.
"These two principal positions are incredibly important to the system, as they help ensure that we are providing a high quality, high standard of education for students at two of the three high schools, but also they help ensure that our graduates are well prepared and have a plan for their path following graduation," Daria said. "We are incredibly lucky to have such a high caliber individuals already within the Tuscaloosa City Schools and are excited that we could hire internally for both positions."
TCS will soon start the hiring process for the assistant principal position at Northridge High School and the principal role at Eastwood Middle School.
