VALDOSTA — Two familiar faces will walk the halls at Lowndes Middle School when school starts on Aug. 6.
Dr. Derald Jones is the middle school’s new principal and Bill Haskin is the new assistant principal.
They join Jackie Crawford, assistant principal, at what is now the second largest school within the Lowndes County School System.
Jones and Haskin have worked together before at Hahira Middle School, but their knowledge and respect for each other started long before either joined the Lowndes County School System.
Both men retired from the United States Air Force, finishing out their careers at Moody Air Force Base. Both taught courses while in the military and both started out as teachers in public school. Now both find themselves leading a school of more than 900 students.
This is Haskin’s first time as a school administrator. During the last school year, Jones served as the director of the Lowndes Alternative School at Parker Mathis Learning Center.
Though they never worked together while at Moody Air Force Base, they were aware of each other and their work. A friendship grew at Hahira Middle School.
When Jones was selected for the principal position at Lowndes Middle School, he was asked who he would select as an assistant principal.
The first person that came to mind was Haskin.
Others were interviewed for the position, but ultimately Haskin was chosen to fill the position.
“In the military I was a leader and I also ran a school that taught leadership,” Haskin said. “When you’ve been a leader and you’ve been successful at leading, you always want to go back to being a leader.”
The two are now adjusting to life on the sprawling Lowndes Middle School campus, meeting teachers and preparing for the 2010-2011 school year.
Jones feels that Lowndes Middle School has gotten a reputation that does not accurately represent the school and its achievements.
“People don’t know anything about this school,” Jones said.
The school is a reflection of Lowndes County, Jones said, in the racial groups that are represented.
“The school in general is an awesome school,” he said.
The middle school’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) has steadily improved over the years, Jones said. This is attributed to long-term, successful leadership and dedicated teachers and staff, he said.
“We’ve made AYP in every single category. That’s phenomenal for a Title I school,” Jones said.
The goal now is to move the scores even higher, moving the students into the exceeds area of AYP.
“This year our theme is going to be ‘engaging every student,’” he said.
That, he said, will take place in the classrooms where teachers will provide lessons that use projects to get students involved in learning.
Haskin, a former middle school teacher, agrees.
“Middle schoolers will tune you out in five to seven minutes,” Haskin said. “You introduce a small concept then you give them a hands-on activity to learn before you introduce the next concept.”
With teacher support Jones and Haskin hope that when people walk into the school at any time of the day, they will find students engaged, not just sitting in rows listening to teachers, but being involved in activities and facilitating their own learning, Jones said.
Haskin said Lowndes Middle School has changed dramatically in the last several years. The school has gone from being the smaller of two middle schools to the largest of three middle schools, he said.
The school is now the second largest school in the county behind Lowndes High School, Jones said.
Parent involvement has always been good at Lowndes Middle, but Jones plans to increase the involvement of the surrounding community.
“That’s kind of lost a little bit because schools are no longer considered neighborhood schools so you have to really reach out to really get that feel of the community being involved,” Jones said.
The principal said he has even stopped and visited homes in the surrounding neighborhood to introduce himself to the community.
“People living next door to the school should know the principal, whether you’ve got kids or not,” Jones said.