While she began the 2019-20 school year as an assistant principal at A.L. Corbett Middle School, when Michelle B. Kennedy was offered an expanded leadership role as the school’s interim principal she jumped at the opportunity and never looked back. She will continue that work in a permanent capacity during the 2020-21 school year as the school’s new educational leader.
Aiken County Board of Education members approved Kennedy’s appointment as the new principal at A.L Corbett Middle School during the school board’s May 12 regularly scheduled meeting, held virtually due to the ongoing pandemic.
“I am super excited that I started the school year as an assistant principal at A.L. Corbett and that I have the opportunity to continue my journey as principal,” Kennedy stated Wednesday. “I am excited to be continuing our work with the community, our scholars, our teachers and parents.”
Kennedy says the continuity afforded by her appointment will be an advantage heading into the 2020-21 school year for both herself as a building leader and the A.L. Corbett family.
“They got to know me as an administrator and as an interim principal so the community was able to see how I would operate as a principal,” added Kennedy. “It gives the community and myself some consistency that will prove to be very beneficial. We have already worked together to put some programs in place and now we can just continue that work as well as addressing some of the concerns that were expressed that we had already begun to work on.”
Kennedy’s academic background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from South Carolina State University, and a Masters of Education degree in Educational Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment from Walden University. She also holds a Masters of Education degree in Leadership in Educational Administration from Capella University. Currently, Kennedy is a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership and Management at Capella University.
Prior to serving as interim principal and assistant principal at A.L. Corbett Middle School, Kennedy served as an assistant administrator and as a principal in Richland County School District One. Prior to those assignments, Kennedy served as a Parenting Coordinator and principal in Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5. She began her educational career as a sixth-grade teacher in Richland School District One before teaching and serving as an assistant principal in Richland School District Two.
Kennedy says while the work to facilitate distance learning during the Covid-19 pandemic has continued it’s been challenging to be away from students for such an extended period of time.
“It’s been a time of uncertainty, and I really miss being in the building,” commented Kennedy. “Of course, we all miss our students. That has been the most difficult thing for our teachers. We don’t know what the new normal will look like, so we are brainstorming right now to ensure that we are as supportive as we can be for our parents and our students.”
Before the start of the 2020-21 school year, Kennedy says the school will continue to focus on the academic performance of the students while also adding important character and leadership development programs.
“We are going to involve our parents and the community even more as we implement a character education program and grow our mentoring program,” stated Kennedy. “We are also going to be working on a leadership development program that will help bridge the gap in leadership training for our students as they come to us from elementary school and as they leave us for high school.”
“We are going to be intentional in what we do so that we can have the greatest impact not only in our students improving their academics, but in taking responsibility for their learning,” added Kennedy. “Middle school can be so difficult and it can be an emotional roller-coaster at times so we want our students to be able to come in and be successful here from start to finish.”
Kennedy will begin her duties as A.L Corbett Middle School principal in July.
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LINK TO DISTRICT PRESS RELEASE: 2020 PR A.L. CORBETT PRINCIPAL