Walker County, Ga., taps celebrated principal for administration role

Principal Matt Harris speaks about the aquaponics lab and other environmental work his school incorporates into the curriculum on Tuesday, May 9, 2017. Gilbert Elementary School received recognition as a Green Ribbon School for its environmental work.
Principal Matt Harris speaks about the aquaponics lab and other environmental work his school incorporates into the curriculum on Tuesday, May 9, 2017. Gilbert Elementary School received recognition as a Green Ribbon School for its environmental work.

A Walker County, Ga., principal who earned national recognition for his science and outdoor programs will move to the central office.

Superintendent Damon Raines announced Sunday that Matt Harris is leaving Gilbert Elementary School to be the county's coordinator for innovative learning. Harris will be in charge of the James A. Smith Planetarium in Chickamauga and run the Career, Technical and Agricultural Education program.

That program is supposed to prepare students for life after high school, be it through working, at a trade school or in college. But Raines said he wants Harris to bring more methods for teaching science and technology.

"We've got to become more project-based," he said. "We've got to become more hands-on with what we're trying to teach our students."

Harris, 35, became assistant principal at Gilbert Elementary in 2008 after teaching fourth grade at Rock Spring Elementary. In February 2011, he became Gilbert Elementary's head principal. Since then, the school has added several programs for students.

There is an aquaponics lab, a chicken coop, hiking trails and a forest kindergarten. Different grade levels maintain different operations. Some plant milkweed and tag plants that will attract pollinators. Others maintain a composting program.

Under his leadership, the school built a high-tech library with robotics and a podcasting center for students to produce shows. UTC students also built a ropes course in the woods for the children.

In 2015, the Georgia Board of Education awarded Gilbert Elementary with a STEM certification, a symbol that the school's students were some of the state's strongest in science and math. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Education named the school a green ribbon award winner - one of 43 in the nation celebrated for its environmental, nutritional and sustainability teachings.

The CTAE program applies to every school system in Georgia, with teachers and administrators pushing students toward one of 16 different career pathways. For example, some Walker County students join the Future Farmers of America, attending after-school meetings and competing in statewide competitions.

Raines said he hopes Harris can meet with teachers and administrators in the system's high schools and middle schools to improve the science offerings. He doesn't expect every location to look like Gilbert Elementary, but he hopes they will come up with ways to engage students.

"Matt has a great understanding of what that looks like, how to build that," Raines said. "He can give you the framework and help guide you. It's probably going to look different at every building."

Harris said he expects to continue to work at Gilbert Elementary for part of the fall semester, to help his replacement get used to the new role. He doesn't know who the next principal will be yet.

Harris said he wants to help market activities already taking place at the high schools and middle schools, helping parents and stakeholders in the community know what the system already offers. Raines said he hopes Harris will strengthen the relationship between leaders at Walker County Schools and some outside groups like the Chattanooga Public Education Foundation.

"I've developed a lot of good contacts," Harris said. "I think I can leverage those contacts with other schools."

Other changes

The school system has gone through some other changes this summer.

Raines has moved Karen Hughes from the central office to be principal of Ridgeland High School. Hughes was a curriculum coordinator for the system but also worked at LaFayette High School for the last 10 weeks of the school year, after the Board of Education announced that it would not renew then-Principal Mike Culberson's contract.

At Ridgeland High, Hughes will replace Glen Brown, who will now be the system's director of student services. Brown himself is taking the spot of Chris Chambers, who retired.

Raines also replaced Culberson at LaFayette High with Tracy Hubbert, who will move here from the Montgomery (Ala.) Public School System.

Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at tjett@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476.

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