VALDOSTA —
Since officially taking office July 1, new Lowndes High School Principal Jaybez “Jay” Floyd has taken the pulse of the high school and started shaking things up with a mission of changing the culture.
“One of my goals as a principal is to make sure we have a healthy culture,” said Floyd.
While some students have been less than pleased with Floyd’s precise and consistent implementation of the Lowndes County handbook, he feels that it is important to make his expectations clear from the start.
“We’re just enforcing all of the rules in the handbook,” said Floyd.
That is why he met with each individual class to review what he expects from every student.
“Just trying to have high expectations,” said Floyd. “Really just clarifying expectations.”
While not letting kids eat in the hallways and not letting students wear hats in school sounds like trivial concerns, every rule followed is another step towards Floyd’s overall goal of becoming the best.
“I think (Lowndes County Schools Superintendent Wes Taylor) and I have the same core values and the same goals toward education,” said Floyd. “He hired me to come to Lowndes High School and make it one of the best.”
Floyd’s goal of changing the culture isn’t only aimed at students. He also has high expectations of his teachers.
“One of the first things you have to have is consistency of your teachers,” said Floyd.
He feels that there has to be consistency with his administration as well. He brought two new assistant principals from Cartersville — Tan Downer and Brian Edwards — to help meet his goals.
“We have one of the strongest administration teams out there,” said Floyd.
The fastest form of school improvement is when you hire new teachers and new administration, he said.
“I went out and tried to find the very best that was available,” said Floyd.
Now that the principal has his dream team in place, he’s working to see it works consistently in sync.
“We all have to work together,” said Floyd. “That we’re on the same page and that we’re working on the same page.”
That is why one of Floyd’s new expectations is to make sure that every teacher has either a morning or afternoon duty. He feels that because Lowndes is such a big school, it takes everyone to make it run safely and smoothly.
“That has helped out tremendously,” said Floyd. “I have to give complete credit to the teachers.”
Floyd has also been very impressed with his student body. “It’s a great student body,” said Floyd.
Floyd doesn’t only want to make Lowndes High School a place where students want to come to learn, but he wants to make it a place where teachers enjoy coming to work.
“The faculty theme for this year is, Do you love them enough?” Floyd said.
Floyd wants his teachers to be the reason that a kid comes to school and eventually graduates.
“That whole theme has to do with the culture of the school,” said Floyd.
An ideal educational environment is formed from being rich in tradition and giving students a reason to come to school, the principal said.
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