CRESTVIEW — Apart from a different face in the principal’s office, returning Panthers and staffers won’t find much new at Davidson Middle School this fall.
And that, Principal Jay Sanders said, is just the way he wants it. “I don’t foresee changing a whole bunch of things at Davidson because we’ve had such success over the last years,” Sanders said.
For 14 years, many of them under recently retired Principal Beth Walthall, Davidson has been an “A” school. Sanders has every intention of maintaining that streak. “My goal is to come in and try to take small steps to improve on the great things that have happened here,” he said.
Sanders said most of the school’s success can be attributed to its faculty and staff, which he calls “the backbone of what this school is.”
“One of the things that is exciting is the commitment and dedication our faculty has,” Sanders said. “These teachers go so far above and beyond to help these kids.
“On the last day of school, even eighth-graders were hugging their teachers and crying and saying, ‘I’m going to miss you.' That says a lot about the teachers we have here.”
Most recently, Sanders served two years, first as dean and then assistant principal, at Baker School, where his teaching career began before he moved to then-Richbourg Middle School. When Richbourg split upon Davidson’s opening, Sanders moved to the new school.
“So I’ve had two homecomings!” Sanders said. “I’ve enjoyed my time and experiences at the other schools, but given the chance by (School Superintendent Mary Beth Jackson) and the school board to come back to my community, that is pretty special to me.”
MEET JAY SANDERS
Here's a look at Crestview native and Davidson Middle School Principal Jay Sanders’ career:
1993: career launch as a teacher at Baker School
1996: Richbourg Middle School
1998: Inaugural year as Davidson Middle School teacher and first basketball coach
1999: Crestview High School: 13 years as teacher and coach
2011: Named Teacher of the Year
2013: Baker School: two years as dean and assistant principal
Present: Davidson Middle School principal
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Davidson's new principal plans to build on school's success