The Tuscaloosa City School Board approved the hire of Evelyn Peoples as principal on June 6. Peoples, who would start the position immediately, had previously served as assistant principal at the school. She will replace Eric Hines, who is the new principal of Paul W. Bryant High School.

"As the incoming principal of Eastwood Middle School, I am excited to continue building a positive school culture focused on high quality teaching and learning," Peoples said. "It is my goal to ensure students are afforded a well-rounded education that is relevant, rigorous, and engaging. As an instructional leader, I will focus on nurturing a collaborative culture based on shared goals and trust."

The 2023-24 school year will be her 17th in the Tuscaloosa City Schools. She has worked at Eastwood since 2018. Prior to that, she served as assistant principal at Southview Elementary and as a teacher at Southview and Woodland Forrest Elementary.

During the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education meeting, board member Marvin Lucas applauded the fact that the system has been able to promote its own educators into leadership positions.

"It's good to see people in our system move up," Lucas said.