January 27, 2023
The JPS administration honors principals who exhibit the core values of equity, excellence, growth mindset, relationships, relevance, and a positive and respectful culture. Four principals were recently honored for their leadership based on the following criteria:
- Student achievement data
- Programming and instruction that addresses equity
- Identification of instructional strengths and areas of growth
- Management of professional time
- Serving as an advocate in school programming needs
Assistant superintendents nominated up to two individuals per division and shared information with the executive leadership team. Superintendent Dr. Errick L. Greene made the final selection based on observations, data, and overall instructional leadership.
Congratulations to the 2023 Divisional Principals of the Year!
Elementary School Division I
Dr. Anthony Moore, Casey Elementary
Dr. Anthony Moore previously served as assistant principal of Casey Elementary in JPS. The areas he supported included administration and supervision of personnel, Title I, school discipline, design and delivery of professional development, and implementation of curricular standards. His educational experiences started as a substitute teacher, which later landed him a teaching position at Duling /CAP Alternative school in JPS. During his tenure with JPS, he has been in the roles of principal, assistant principal, and teacher.
Dr. Moore holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Southern Mississippi. He completed a Master of Arts in teaching from Belhaven University and earned a specialist and a doctorate in educational leadership at Mississippi College.
Dr. Moore was named the District's first Education Leader of the Year in the spring of 2020. His favorite quote about education by Malcolm X is “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”
Elementary School Division II
Delacy Bridges, McLeod Elementary
DeLacy Bridges is the instructional leader of McCleod Elementary School. Entering her first year as principal at McLeod Elementary after serving in the same capacity for eight years at Lester, she has given 23 years of service in various capacities of education to the scholars of the Jackson Public School District, including serving as a classroom teacher, librarian, and interventionist. Her educational experiences have afforded her opportunities to collaborate with a diverse group of professionals who share the common goal of developing the whole child while also increasing student achievement.
Mrs. Bridges’ educational philosophy is based on her commitment to the notion that every child can achieve, regardless of their circumstances, when they have a supportive, nurturing, and positive environment with highly capable adults who share in that commitment. Simply put, she stresses that scholars do what they know, but adults have the responsibility to teach them to know better.
Over the years, Mrs. Bridges has served as a change agent for struggling schools as she has helped to improve academic performance in each school that she has served. While she has a reputation for being tough, she is also known to be fair, compassionate, and empathetic to scholars, their families, and staff members alike. Having dynamic teams, eager scholars, and supportive families has been key to her success throughout the years.
Middle School Division
Kevin Culver, Bailey APAC and Northwest Middle
Mr. Kevin L. Culver is the principal of Bailey APAC and Northwest Jackson Middle School. With over 20 years as an educational practitioner, Mr. Culver began his teaching career in the Jefferson Davis County School District, where he taught a plethora of advanced mathematics courses, including 7th-grade mathematics, 8th-grade mathematics, 8th-grade Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, and Pre-Calculus/Trigonometry for 14 years. He also served as a head varsity baseball coach, head junior high football coach, head junior varsity football coach, and assistant varsity football coach. Upon employment with the Jackson Public School District, Mr. Culver began working at Morrison Academic Advancement Center where he taught 8th grade Pre-Algebra and served as an assistant football coach at Jim Hill High School. Mr. Culver went to Northwest Jackson International Baccalaureate World Middle School as a mathematics interventionist and later became the lead teacher.
He started his college matriculation at Jackson State University. However, he received both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Education in mathematics from William Carey College (now William Carey University). Additionally, he earned a specialist in education in educational leadership from Arkansas State University.
High School Division
Dr. Shemeka Sutton-McClung, Callaway High
Dr. Shemeka Sutton-McClung is the academic leader of Callaway High School. She most recently worked for Pearson Virtual Schools, where she led a team of analysts devoted to providing services in both academic and socialization areas for student academic growth and personal development. Prior to joining the Pearson family, she served as the director of institutional research, planning, and assessment at Jackson State University. While at JSU, she served in various leadership roles and capacities, including university accreditation and strategic planning. Her previous tenure in the District includes serving as director of student support, principal and assistant principal of Lanier High School, and classroom teacher at Callaway, Lanier, and Wingfield High Schools. As a district and school leader, she led various projects and initiatives, including administration and supervision of personnel, curriculum and instruction, professional development, school finance, student development, and testing and assessment. As a special note, her career began in the Jackson Public School District, where she taught various science subjects, including biology, botany, chemistry, genetics, human anatomy & physiology, and physics, just to name a few. Dr. McClung's specialties lie in the areas of data analysis, instructional leadership, professional development, school management, and student growth.
Dr. McClung holds a Bachelor of Science in biology from Jackson State University. She completed her Master of Science in teaching, a specialist in educational leadership & supervision, and a Doctor of Philosophy in educational leadership & supervision degree at Jackson State University.
