A new principal will take the helm at DeKalb County High School on July 1.
Director of Schools Patrick Cripps announced Monday that current DeKalb Middle Principal Randy Jennings will succeed Dr. Kathy Bryant as principal at the high school. Bryant recently transferred to a position in the central office at the school system, supervisor of instruction for grades 6-12.
Jennings told the Review that he was ready to go to work.
“I’m excited, obviously,” he admitted. “It’s a new challenge, and will be a bigger challenge than where I was at, but I’m anxious to get started.”
He said that the fact that he will be familiar with most of the students will help.
“I think it will be a bonus for me going in that, not only do I already know the kids for the most part, they already know me as well, so everybody should know what to expect” Jennings said. “It should make the transition a little easier.”
Cripps said that although there were hurdles to overcome, he was confident that Jennings could handle the job.
“Randy has been an administrator for many years in the county. He has a big challenge facing him, but he’s walking into a school with a great staff that will work hard for him. He knows what the challenges are. We’ve talked at length about expectations, both for him and myself,” the director shared.
He agreed that prior relationships with the students will be of help.
“One positive thing going in to this new position is that he’s going to know the kids,” said Cripps. “That’s going to be an advantage. I think he’ll work hard and do a good job for us.”
A 1989 graduate of DCHS, Jennings and his wife Jill have two children, Cori, 21, and Steven, 18.
Jennings earned an Associate of Science degree at Motlow in 1991, then a Bachelor of Science degree at MTSU in 1994. He obtained a Master of Arts degree in Instructional Leadership from Tennessee Tech in 1998 before getting a Specialist in Education degree in Instructional Leadership from TTU in 2005.
Jennings teaching career began at DeKalb West School in 1995. He was there for two years teaching eighth grade math, science and social studies teacher, as well as coaching both the boys and girls basketball teams.
He went to Watertown High School in 1997 and served as the head baseball coach and assistant boys’ basketball coach. He became the head girls’ basketball coach there in 1998.
He accepted the position of principal at Smithville Elementary School in 2000, and was there until 2005, when he was tapped for the principal’s office at DMS, where he remained for the next 13 years.
Jennings will become the twelfth principal at DCHS since it was built in 1963. His follows in the footsteps of, in chronological order, Amon Snyder, Jim Butler, Tucker Hendrix, Ernest Ray, Dr. Charles Collier, Larry Johnson, Dr. Barry Roberts, Weldon Parkinson, Kathy Hendrix, Patrick Cripps, and Dr. Kathy Bryant.
Cripps has not yet named a replacement for Jennings at DMS.
