A seamless transition
May 19—Former West Elementary School guidance counselor Elizabeth Shaddix and Cullman High School Assistant Principal Allison Tuggle may be familiar faces within the Cullman City School system, but at the start of the 2023 school year they will step into their newly appointed roles as principals of Cullman City Primary School and Cullman High School.
Shaddix, who will fill the position of CCPS principal following the departure of Tricia Culpepper, has been a lifelong member of the Bearcat family. After graduating from CHS in 2005, she began her secondary education at Athens State followed by the University of West Alabama and then the University of Alabama where she is currently working toward obtaining her Doctorate.
"As a child I always wanted to teach, that was never a question. I did go back and forth between wanting to work at the elementary or high school levels, but during college and as I did my student teaching at West Elementary, I knew that was the right fit," Shaddix said.
After 14 years at the elementary school Shaddix was granted the opportunity to participate in a principal residency program in 2019 where she shadowed Culpepper for a semester.
"I had the opportunity to mentor Mrs. Shaddix during a semester long administrative residency program sponsored by the ALSDE. During this time, I was able to learn more about her and see her leadership qualitie," Culpepper said in an email to The Times.
"Elizabeth has a wide array of educational experiences that she will bring to this position. She has excellent communication and organizational skills as well as a deep commitment to quality early childhood education. She has great pride in Cullman City Schools and told me often that she 'loved the littles.' She has a lot of enthusiasm and drive which will be of great benefit to our faculty, families and students.
"I am confident she will take our school and school system to new heights. She is the ideal person to take on this role and and have the responsibility for bringing another grade level to our campus. I can't wait to see what the CCPS, CCHS staff and Mrs. Shaddix can accomplish together."
Shaddix said she wasn't concerned about stepping into the role during the school's major renovation due to the faculty's abilities to minimize any inconveniences.
"Kyle [Kallhoff] has been excellent about communicating the plans ahead of time, so that we have time to implement any changes needed. When you say 'construction site' it does seem intimidating, but we try to look at everything in pieces and break it down to make it a smoother process," Shaddix said.
Graduating from Vinemont High School in 1997 and also completing undergraduate studies at Athens before continuing to the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Tuggle says that she also didn't have any doubts pursuing education as a career.
"I always just wanted to help kids become good people. I really think that education is a calling and I think that God has put me in a position that I can do that," Tuggle said.
Having worked closely with Hall in her role as Assistant Principal, Tuggle describes her initial hesitancy when applying to step into Hall's shoes. It was the motivation from her fellow teachers and her wish to see Hall's vision continue that led her to the conclusion that she would be a good "transition piece" to allow for a more seamless flow between administrations.
"Hall is such a great and natural leader, she has done such an amazing job at putting people in place... I hope to continue with that, everyone having their own roles to play. I'm sure there will be some minute changes, but they happen slowly. The first year I am planning on just sitting back and see what happens and then we can go from there," Shaddix said.
Hall was unavailable for comment by press time. She congratulated Tuggle on her Twitter profile saying "
Congratulations to @tuggle_allison as she takes over the reigns as the next principal at @CullmanCats! I am so proud of you and look forward to the continued growth to come! Go Bearcats!"
City Schools will host a public meet-and-greet for the new principals on Wednesday, June 1, from 4:30-5:30 p.m. at the Cullman City Board of Education.
