While looking into potential leadership opportunities earlier this year, one in particular back in his home state of South Carolina jumped out to Tennessee high school administrator Chris Earl.
The position was in the Wagener area of Aiken County, an area he knew quite well having graduated in 1996 from nearby Airport High School in West Columbia, South Carolina.
“Having attended Airport High and played sports there I was very familiar with the schools in Aiken County,” Earl stated Tuesday. “There are a lot of exciting things happening in Aiken County. It is a really high-performing school district, especially related to graduation rates, so I really wanted to be a part of that team.”
Aiken County Board of Education members approved Earl’s appointment as the new principal at Wagener-Salley High School for the 2018-19 school year during a regularly scheduled meeting May 8.
Earl currently serves as executive principal of The Howard School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Current Wagener-Salley High School principal Ute Aadland previously accepted a new position within the District for the upcoming school year.
“It is very exciting for me to be a part of a school district that is as progressive as Aiken County Public Schools is, and it is in more of a rural type setting which is what I experienced growing up,” Earl commented. “Of course, I have family nearby, and at Wagener-Salley High School it will be a smaller school setting and I really want to get to know the students and teachers as individuals. I want to get to know my colleagues and dig into the community.”
Earl’s academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in social sciences from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he also played college football, and a Masters of Education in instructional leadership from Tennessee Technological University. He also holds an Educational Specialist degree in instructional leadership from Tennessee Technological University.
Prior to serving as principal with two schools in the Chattanooga area, Earl was an assistant principal at Keenan High School in Richland One. He has also served as a classroom teacher of world geography and African American history at the high school level.
Earl says he will be focused on student and staff needs and readily available to speak with any students and faculty members at Wagener-Salley High School.
“It is very important that we be able to relate to one another,” Earl stated. “Those interpersonal relationships are key, so our students and teachers understand that I have their best interest at heart as we work together to ensure college and career readiness. I have children of my own, and I treat every child and student in the same way I would want someone to treat my child.”
Wagener-Salley High School junior Keiondric Tyler, who served as a member of the District’s principal hiring committee alongside a pair of Wagener-Salley High educators and a Wagener-area community member, said he was impressed with Earl’s experience and his plans to encourage more parents to become involved at the school.
“Mr. Earl's experience as a principal was key in my decision, but what really impressed me was his description of some of the strategies he has used to have more parents involved in his schools,” Keiondric stated. “For a community-based school, I feel that is what we need.”
Before the start of the 2018-19 school year, Earl says he will focus on getting to know his new community, while striving to build partnerships with area businesses.
“I’m looking forward to engaging with the community,” Earl commented. “While it is extremely important to have parental involvement, it is also important for the community be engaged in our schools, not only to provide the best learning opportunities but to also expose students to different career paths and career opportunities. Not every student is going to go to college, and we want them to have the skills they need to be productive members of society.”
Earl will begin his duties as Wagener-Salley High School principal in July.
LINK TO DISTRICT PRESS RELEASE: 2018 PR WSHS PRINCIPAL