McIntosh staff will be temporarily leaving the school between Jan. and Feb., depending on their residency dates, to receive Administrative and Principal training at various schools around Fayette County. Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Leon Hammond will be a part of the Aspiring Principals Program, while Janet Hansen, the AP U.S. History teacher, Melissa Holt, the Exceptional Children’s Services Department Chair, and David High, the A.P. Human Geography teacher at McIntosh will be among staff leaving on the Admin Intern Program.
“I was selected to participate in the Aspiring Principals Program, organized by the Superintendent and district office staff. This program is designed for Assistant Principals who demonstrate leadership potential and a commitment to advancing their careers. During my residency, I will work directly with Oak Grove Elementary’s Principal, Chris Riecke, Assistant Principal Cindy Holland, and their entire team,” Hammond said.
This opportunity will provide Hammond with hands-on training as an elementary-level principal within the Fayette County School System, which he describes as having a striking difference from the High School administrations. Whilst gone, Hammond will leave the duty of overseeing students, school safety, school discipline, operational drills, classroom observations, and Athletic Director duties to other staff at McIntosh. This opportunity will provide Hammond with the necessary experience for the next steps in his career path.
“Through this training, I aim to gain insights into all aspects of the principal role, including budgeting, staff retention and development, and fostering student growth and learning. Additionally, I hope to better understand how to ensure students are safe and prepared for success from their earliest years in education through graduation,” Hammond said.
Janet Hansen, the A.P. U.S. History teacher, and David High, the A.P. Human Geography teacher will be leaving in the month of Feb. to participate in the Admin Intern Program to gain the skills needed to secure leadership positions in schools. Hansen and High’s students are showing concern over the month-long absence of their teachers and how this could affect their education and grades.
“it’s kind of overwhelming not having her with us, you know, since it’s an AP class, so it’s kind of really essential for her to be there to teach. And the sudden change and the learning style can be a problem, but I think she’s, she’s gonna do a good job with setting somebody up who can, you know, help us,” Nupoor Patel (11) said.
Patel is a student in one of Hansen’s A.P. U.S. History classes. Patel believes that while Hansen’s absence may cause some turmoil, the substitute that the school will input in Hansen’s place will be able to cover the learning material needed for the A.P. exam effectively. Patel is, however, worried about her grades while Hansen is gone.
“I remember [Hansen] telling us that, since she’s going, the [amount of work] grades are gonna be lowered so we’ll have less chances for grades. I trust her with whoever she picks, but it’s the fact that she’s really good with re-takes. So I’m kind of afraid of the fact that she’s not going to be there, because it might impact the retakes we get, we might not get to retake the quizzes and tests.” Patel said.
However, Hammond has stated that students should not be afraid of the possibility of missing important material as the substitutes implemented in the places of teachers will be given detailed instructions and monitored.
“Students will undoubtedly miss these teachers, as they will not be delivering instruction daily. However, these teachers have prepared detailed lesson plans for their substitutes to follow, and department chairs will oversee the implementation to ensure the quality of instruction remains high. I encourage students to give their best effort for substitutes, just as they would for their regular teachers. If students have additional questions or need clarification, they should reach out to their teachers or our administrative team. Our goal is to ensure a seamless transition so students can continue thriving academically,” Hammond said.