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Mississippi College Graduate Named Top School Administrator


Mississippi School Administrator of the Year Chad Shealy

A Mississippi College graduate, Chad Shealy was recently honored as the state’s top school administrator.

The award honors a school administrator who demonstrates superior ability to inspire teachers, is active in the community and displays exemplary leadership qualities on the job.

The principal at Gary Road Intermediate School, Shealy was chosen from among four finalists seeking to become the 2013 Mississippi Administrator of the Year.

The Mississippi Board of Education saluted the Hinds County public schools administrator during a meeting in Jackson. He’s spent 14 years in the education arena, including service as the Gary Road Intermediate School principal since 2010.

Shealy received a bachelor’s degree at the University of Mississippi and master’s at Mississippi College. He was named the 2011-12 Hinds County Principal of the Year and has served as president of the Mississippi Association of Middle Level Education.

Mississippi College education professor Cindy Melton is delighted to see Shealy spotlighted statewide for his many contributions to the profession.

“The goal of our Educational Leadership program is to produce well-prepared, effective leaders for the state of Mississippi,’’ Melton said. “Chad deserves to be recognized for his outstanding leadership skills, and we are delighted to have one of our graduates receive this honor.’’

Melton chairs the Teacher Education and Leadership Department at MC’s School of Education.

At Gary Road Intermediate School that recognizes students at accelerated reading rewards parties, hosts book fairs, and gets the community involved, Shealy has worked hard to promote a safe and rigorous academic environment on the Bulldogs campus.

“With the support from our community, and hard work from our staff, we have moved the performance level of Gary Road Intermediate School all the way to high performing, and we are designated as a B school,’’ he said in a Department of Education news release. “As our motto states, we are choosing to be better.’’

Interim Mississippi Superintendent of Education Lynn House was among the education leaders paying tribute to Shealy. He began working in the profession as an art teacher in Byram and Madison before becoming an assistant principal in the Hinds County schools in 2001.