Since January, Kristie Brooks has served as Interim Principal at Aiken Elementary School. After standard hiring procedures and position interviews were conducted this spring, she is thrilled to have been officially named as the school’s principal.
Brooks previously served in Aiken County as a Special Education Teacher, then as an Assistant Principal at the high school level. After nearly a decade in administration at Midland Valley High School, Brooks developed an interest in early learning as she and her husband became parents and naturally became involved in their children’s education.
“It has been a wonderful transition,” Brooks shared. “This staff is really awesome and has been super supportive. They’ve allowed me to come in, learn from them, and make some assessments. They’ve helped me get my footing so that we can get ready for next year.”
Aiken Elementary has strengthened efforts over the last several months to welcome involvement from parents and community partners.
“Our teachers and staff really want students’ families to feel welcome here, and to know what we are doing and how they can help,” she said. “Our parent engagement survey data reflected that our families desired the same.”
Aiken Elementary has welcomed parents on campus this semester through a number of planned activities, including a Breakfast of Champions, Ice Cream Social for State Testing, Read Across America Book Parade, Earth Day Event, and Living Wax Museum Exhibit.
“I know what it’s like to come from a family with good intentions,” Brooks’ commented. “Making all families feel welcome to participate in their students’ academic success and ensuring that we make resources available and accessible to all parents so that they can support their child in school is important.”
Brooks graduated in 2008 from Southern Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Special Education, and attained a Masters of Education in Administration and Supervision from Anderson University in 2012. She’s a first-generation college graduate. Brooks’ dad didn’t finish high school; her mom didn’t either, but went back to get her GED while Brooks was in high school and graduated from college just last year.
The transition from high school to elementary has allowed Brooks to merge being an administrator and an involved parent as her daughter is an Aiken Elementary School student and son is also a future Maverick. It’s not just walking into school with her daughter each day or the hugs and high-fives from students that Brooks is enjoying at the elementary level, she’s also excited to discover how her knowledge of the skills students need as they enter ninth grade and when they graduate is impacting school improvements at this earlier stage of the education continuum.
As Brooks leads Aiken Elementary into the 2023-24 school year, together with teachers, staff and parents, they have identified three focus areas for next school year, which include: 1. Making students the center of every conversation; 2. Supporting teachers; and 3. Empowering parents.
“We are better together,” Brooks stated, “The pandemic forced us to work differently for a while, but all of us are better when we work together…teachers, parents, and the community. We’re excited to get back to that!”
Parents and community partners are eager to reengage as well. More parents are showing up for their recent events than they can even handle in the front office, and they are restructuring their procedures and staffing for school-wide events as a result. Kroger provided ice cream at no cost to the school for their recent state testing social, Home Depot is supporting some outdoor projects, and they are working with Security Federal Bank to bring back the Looney Tunes Savings Club, which actually started at Aiken Elementary in 1996.
“I hope that I’m able to serve here for a long time,” she shared. “Aiken Elementary has such a proud past. I’m just so happy to be here and be part of its future.”
LINK TO DISTRICT PRESS RELEASE: PR BROOKS TO BRING BACK PARENT & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AS PRINCIPAL OF AIKEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL