By Crystal McGough, Editor
TRUSSVILLE – The Trussville Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Patrick Martin recognized the district’s five principals during the regular meeting of the board on Monday, Oct. 16, in honor of National Principals Month.
L-R: BOE President Kim DeShazo, HTHS Principal Aaron King, Paine Elementary Principal Dr. Lisa Lothspeich, Magnolia Elementary Principal Dr. Phyllis Faust, Cahaba Elementary Principal Joy Tyner, HTMS Principal Jared Meads, Superintendent Dr. Patrick Martin. (Credit: Crystal McGough)
Dr. Martin asked Cahaba Elementary Principal Joy Tyner, Paine Elementary Principal Dr. Lisa Lothspeich, Magnolia Elementary Principal Dr. Phyllis Faust, Hewitt-Trussville Middle School Principal Jared Meads and Hewitt-Trussville High School Principal Aaron King to come to the front for special recognition and presentations.
“I had a chance to ask a teacher and a staff member from their school(s) if they would give me a comment about our leaders,” Martin stated before reading the following comments:
- “There is no one more passionate about their school than Joy Tyner. Every decision she makes is about putting students first. She strives to create a joyful school home where students are loved and celebrated. She motivates her staff and students to be their best selves. She encourages innovative teaching, supports creativity and collaboration, and celebrates her students’ and staff’s victories. She is loved by students, staff and the community of Cahaba Elementary School.”
- “Dr. Faust encompasses every aspect of what it means to be a school principal. She is the first to roll up her sleeves and jump in where she is needed. She has a true love for every single student and faculty staff member and Magnolia Elementary School. She does her job with the utmost poise and grace, not to mention, always with a smile. She is adored and loved by all of her students and she makes each person feel special. There is not a face that Dr. Faust does not know, and this includes students, staff and parents. We could not do our jobs the way we do without her leadership and mentorship. We love you Dr. Faust.”
- “Dr. Lothspeich is trustworthy, sincere and devoted. She is an exceptional leader who is humble and makes herself accessible to all. She does an incredible job of listening to any concerns of the staff and keeps us excited about improving our school. Dr. Lothspeich is such an impactful leader and motivates us to strive for success each day. She creates a safe and welcoming environment for our students at Paine. Her communication, compassion and commitment to the well-being of our community is invaluable and truly makes a difference.”
- “Excellent leaders raise the bar, they inspire others to achieve more, and I can’t think of a more inspirational leader than Jared Meads. Over the last nine years, I’ve had the honor to know him as a coach, as my daughter’s science teacher, as my son’s assistant principal and now my principal here at Hewitt-Trussville Middle School. And through all these roles, I have witnessed his unwavering commitment to family, students, teachers and the community of Trussville. Jared’s leadership is guided by his concern for others and his ability to always strive to do the right thing. I feel genuinely grateful and blessed to have Jared Meads as the principal of Hewitt-Trussville Middle School.”
- “Mr. King’s vision for Hewitt-Trussville High School is to be a triple threat in excellence, where our students excel in academics, athletics and the fine arts. He is just the leader to take us there because he is a triple threat principal, excelling in management, instructional leadership and vision. It is rare to find a principal who can do all of these three things so well. And to top it off, he is also kind, caring and thoughtful. He is simply the complete package. We are so blessed to have Mr. King as the principal of Hewitt-Trussville High School.”
The board then recognized and thanked State Senator Shay Shelnutt, State Senator Dan Roberts and Representative Danny Garrett for their financial contributions to the school system through Community Service Grant funds.
“We are very fortunate here in Trussville to have three outstanding leaders on the state level in these three gentlemen,” Dr. Martin said. “I think it’s very important that the community of Trussville knows that $100,000 has been donated by these three gentlemen through their community grants, and that enables our principals to do some outstanding projects and have great initiatives at our buildings. So on behalf of Trussville City Schools, we would like to thank you.”
Rep. Danny Garrett presents Trussville City Schools with a check for $50,000 (Credit: Crystal McGough)
During his speech, Rep. Garrett presented Trussville City Schools with a check for $50,000.
“There’s two (senators), that really means that you can get money from two people in the Senate; that’s a good thing,” Garrett said. “The Senate, we call them the House of Lords. Our representatives, the House, we’re kind of the House of Commons, you know. But tonight, the House of Commons would like to present Trussville City Schools System with a check for $50,000.”
The board also recognized HTHS senior Tyler Maronge for representing Hewitt-Trussville High School at the 86th American Legion Boys State at Troy University.
“I spoke with a few key leaders at Boys State and they mentioned that Tyler represented Hewitt-Trussville High School very notably,” Dr. Martin said. “Many key leaders in our country have attended Boys State: presidents, professional athletes, astronauts, congressional leaders, etc. This is a great program for our youth and Tyler did an outstanding job.”
The board went on to approve a lengthy consent agenda, which included multiple field trips as well as the installation of a video scoreboard inside the Bryant Bank Arena on the HTHS campus.
Under personnel, Dr. Martin said there had been three resignations and one retirement, as well as several recommendations for employment and agreements for services.
In new business, the board unanimously voted to elect Board Member Jason Daniel and Delegate and Board Vice President Kathy Brown as Alternate for the AASB (Alabama Association of School Boards) Delegate Assembly on Nov. 30.
The Trussville Board of Education typically meets in regular session at 5 p.m. on the third Monday of each month. Board meetings are open to the public and live-streamed.
