Dr. Horrell Movin' On Up
By Alia Snyder
The 2013-2014 school year continues to bring nothing but change to Germantown High.
Upon return from Winter Break, students were informed that Dr. Ted Horrell was no longer the residing principal. Students were shocked and confused to see that after only two and a half years, Horrell was moving on.
For seniors, it was disappointing because that made the third principal replacement in their high school careers. However, students need to understand Horrell’s decision was not one influenced by the school.
“I was encouraged to apply by several people and decided late in the game that I would put my name in the hat. I was not assured by any means of being selected for the superintendent position, but I decided that applying for a superintendency would be a good experience for me and, if selected, would be a unique opportunity to build a school system from the ground up. I turned in my application on December 4th,” Horrell said.
Dr. Horrell went on to assure that this information was not meant to be a secret necessarily, but kept quiet because he was unsure if the position would actually be his. Although so quiet in the GHS community, the news was spread quite publically.
“I was named superintendent of Lakeland School System on December 23rd, 2014. I found out I was selected on Twitter. (This is true!),” Horrell said.
Ultimately Horrell was in a daze about leaving Germantown, but this promotion offers a lot in the long run.
“I am really enjoying the work I am doing. My position now is unlike any other position I've had in that I am technically working alone at the moment. There is exactly one employee of Lakeland School System for the time being, and it is me! It is exciting, wildly varied, and interesting. I am learning a tremendous amount about every aspect of central office administration, because I am doing all of the work myself!” Horrell said.
The Lakeland School District varies largely from SCS in that it currently only contains one school, and Dr. Horrell is proud to be head of that. He is enjoying the enthusiasm of the community as a whole and hopes to move forward.
Being that there is only one school, Horrell is having to work more closely with the staff and students-- an opportunity he is taking advantage of as they work to develop new policies and procedures for the upcoming school years. The school district actually launched their website on February 11, 2014 as step one with progression.
Even with Dr. Horrell being kept busy with his new promotion, he assures the students at GHS that they are not forgotten.
“Being selected as Lakeland superintendent was bittersweet for me. Germantown High School has been very good to me as a student, a teacher, and administrator. I love the students there, the diversity of the school, and the faculty and staff. I miss the excitement of watching students develop their talents and interests and being able to talk to them as young adults. I also miss being around all of that Red Devil Sprit!” said Horrell.
The 2013-2014 school year continues to bring nothing but change to Germantown High.
Upon return from Winter Break, students were informed that Dr. Ted Horrell was no longer the residing principal. Students were shocked and confused to see that after only two and a half years, Horrell was moving on.
For seniors, it was disappointing because that made the third principal replacement in their high school careers. However, students need to understand Horrell’s decision was not one influenced by the school.
“I was encouraged to apply by several people and decided late in the game that I would put my name in the hat. I was not assured by any means of being selected for the superintendent position, but I decided that applying for a superintendency would be a good experience for me and, if selected, would be a unique opportunity to build a school system from the ground up. I turned in my application on December 4th,” Horrell said.
Dr. Horrell went on to assure that this information was not meant to be a secret necessarily, but kept quiet because he was unsure if the position would actually be his. Although so quiet in the GHS community, the news was spread quite publically.
“I was named superintendent of Lakeland School System on December 23rd, 2014. I found out I was selected on Twitter. (This is true!),” Horrell said.
Ultimately Horrell was in a daze about leaving Germantown, but this promotion offers a lot in the long run.
“I am really enjoying the work I am doing. My position now is unlike any other position I've had in that I am technically working alone at the moment. There is exactly one employee of Lakeland School System for the time being, and it is me! It is exciting, wildly varied, and interesting. I am learning a tremendous amount about every aspect of central office administration, because I am doing all of the work myself!” Horrell said.
The Lakeland School District varies largely from SCS in that it currently only contains one school, and Dr. Horrell is proud to be head of that. He is enjoying the enthusiasm of the community as a whole and hopes to move forward.
Being that there is only one school, Horrell is having to work more closely with the staff and students-- an opportunity he is taking advantage of as they work to develop new policies and procedures for the upcoming school years. The school district actually launched their website on February 11, 2014 as step one with progression.
Even with Dr. Horrell being kept busy with his new promotion, he assures the students at GHS that they are not forgotten.
“Being selected as Lakeland superintendent was bittersweet for me. Germantown High School has been very good to me as a student, a teacher, and administrator. I love the students there, the diversity of the school, and the faculty and staff. I miss the excitement of watching students develop their talents and interests and being able to talk to them as young adults. I also miss being around all of that Red Devil Sprit!” said Horrell.