On Monday, August 7, the Advance staff had the pleasure of meeting with the administrators from the Drew Central School District. As the district gears up for a new school year, our staff took a few minutes to sit down with these administrators to find out a little bit about who they are, and what they hope to achieve this year.
Samantha Mann, Assistant Principal at Drew Central Elementary, is the newest hire of the group. She has experience working in Special Education and General Education, and has a strong back ground working with children.
“I’m excited to start this year because I’m back in my hometown,” Mann said. “I was born and raised here, and I’m excited to be working with people that I know. My goal for this year is to build relationships with our students and their families and our faculty and staff. I also get to learn this community over again so that I can make the biggest impact possible.”
Drew Central High School Principal, Kenny Pennington, began his journey in Hamburg where he graduated high school. He then attended the University of Arkansas at Monticello where he received his bachelor’s degree in Education with endorsements in Health and Physical Education, Coaching, and Social Studies. He then attended Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe, La. while at NLU he worked on an Exercise Physiology Masters. Pennington then went to Hampton where he taught and coached for 12 years. He then took the Assistant Principal job at Monticello High School where he served for 15 years. After spending six years working with North Central Association, Pennington came to Drew Central five years ago.
“This community is a great place to live and raise kids. I’ve spent the majority of my life here,” Pennington said. “We are trying to build relationships with our kids and get them to understand the importance of an education. Hopefully we are successful with that.”
Darshauna Shepherd, the Assistant Principal at Drew Central High School, is in her fourth year at Drew Central, and this is also her tenth year in education. She started in Pre-K and has been in almost every area of education since then. She has experience as an EAST facilitator as well. She eventually decided to go into leadership and is starting her third year as Assistant Principal.
“I’m a Drew Central alum, so I’m happy to be home and see the culture of Drew Central thrive,” Shepherd said. “My goals for this year are to build those relationships, but to also prepare our students for the next steps. I want them to begin looking at further education, or what their career will be.”
Drew Central Middle School Principal, Patti Smith is in her 35th year as an educator. During this time she has worked in many different school districts. She started in West Helena. From there she has worked in Lake Village, McGehee, Dermott, and finally Drew Central.
“I loved them all, but Drew Central is the best. I love Drew Central,” Smith said. “I drive from McGehee every day. It’s so much like home here. I love the people who work here, I love the students, and their families. Middle school is an important time in our student’s lives. My biggest goal is for them to find success in Middle School which will help them to grow into productive adults.”
DJ Vincent, Smith’s Co-Principal at the Middle School, is another former Drew Central student who is now in a leadership role. Vincent has a Bachelor’s degree in Health Education, a Master’s in Sports Administration and Educational Leadership, and is currently in his last semester to earn his Doctorate in School Leadership.
“My goals for this year is to continue to build relationships in my hometown and community, in partnership with the school district,” Vincent said. “I also want to see us improve in some areas on our school report card.”
Nancy Chapman, Drew Central Elementary Principal, spent 17 years in the Dumas School District. She started in Pre-K, eventually becoming the director of Pre-K. She moved to another campus where she spent three years as Assistant Principal before moving into the Principal role for five additional years. When the opportunity to work at Drew Central came up, she jumped at the opportunity.
“I knew it was a wonderful school, and a place I wanted to be,” Chapman said. “I had the opportunity to work here and have my son go to school here so I jumped on the opportunity. My plans for DCE are to see our students thrive. I want them to be happy and feel good about coming here every day. I want my staff to feel the same way. Overall, I just want everyone to thrive and feel successful. I want them to be happy coming here, because this is the place to be.”
Superintendent Kimbraly Barnes is entering her 34th year in education, and her 28th in administration. Since coming to Drew Central in 2010, she has thoroughly enjoyed her time, and considers herself blessed to be the superintendent of the Pirate Nation.
“It’s time to rebuild some relationships. Over the past few years, we’ve had to focus on some other things,” Barnes said. “I think we are all excited about the opportunities to reconnect with our community, our students, and their families. I’m excited about the growth we’ve seen at Drew Central. We are right at 1,300 students enrolled, and we are one of the few schools in Southeast Arkansas that is growing. We are proud of that fact. Because of this growth we are expanding our facilities. Along with all of that, we all realize that a goal for this year is to improve our academics.”
