When the Attala County School Board met Monday night, it voted unanimously to hire Andrew McFarland of Starkville to take the helm at McAdams High School.
McFarland is currently a principal in the Noxubee County School District and was previously employed as an assistant principal in the Shelby County School District in Cordova, Tennessee.
According to his application for the McAdams post, he has a total of six years of experience as an assistant principal and another four years experience as a principal.
McFarland holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education for the University of Mississippi and a master’s degree in Education from Union University in Tennessee. He also earned a Specialist Degree in Administration and Supervision from Union University.
Superintendent Bryan Weaver said McFarland, a West Point native, was one of 10 candidates, each of whom was interviewed by a committee which included the superintendent, Career Tech Director Tony Holder, Career Tech Counselor Tracy Hardy, McAdams teacher Saha Malone, McAdams Librarian Joann McDonald, SPED Director Renee McNeil and community member Rev. Leonard Jones.
“That’s the best pool of candidates we’ve had for principal since I’ve been superintendent,” said Weaver following the vote. “We’re very pleased to have him. He’s very excited about the position and we’re excited to see what he can do for McAdams High School.”
In an exclusive telephone interview with The Star-Herald Tuesday morning, McFarland said he is undaunted by McAdams being an F-rated school this past year and a D-rated school previously.
As a matter of fact, the challenge of helping the school improve was one of the main reasons he applied for the job.
“I applied for this job because I saw that McAdams is a school that has struggled. I have had the opportunity to work in some turnaround schools in the Memphis area, and I believe that McAdams could be a model school for the district,” he said.
McFarland said one of his early efforts will be to engage the greater community.
“I will look to build relationships with the district, staff, students, the community. I have to take the initiative on that and go to the churches and the neighborhoods and tell them my expectations and about the role they can play,” he said.
The centerpiece of his leadership, however, he said, will be an unwavering focus on the students.
“I’m the type of principal that truly loves students and I base all of my decisions on how they will benefit the students,” he said.
Although his official start date is July 1, McFarland said he will spend a good deal of time at the school and in the community starting June 1 because waiting until July 1 would make it difficult to prepare for the upcoming school year in the way he would like.
