One of their own picked to lead CHS

John Crawford may have moved into the principal’s office at Corbin High School but finding him in that office is unlikely.

Since taking the reins at what he describes as the flagship school in Corbin, Crawford has been on the move throughout the school. When asked his goal, he described it in simple terms. To build consensus between administrators, faculty and staff with the goal of helping the current and future Redhounds achieve things just as he, his four children and his parents were able to do.

“It has been wonderful,” Crawford said Tuesday when asked to described his first two days on the job. “People are coming together. I think we are all on the same page.”

Following a final executive session Friday afternoon lasting approximately 10 minutes, the high school’s site based decision making council completed more than two months of work by unanimously approving the motion to hire Crawford to the position.

In announcing the decision, school system officials noted that Crawford is a strong motivator who has deep ties to Corbin and Corbin High School.

“He possesses excellent leadership skills and has a clear cut vision for the school,” officials stated.

As to details on that vision, Crawford said that will be forthcoming in the near future. He has plans to meet with faculty and staff to lay out that vision later this week.

Crawford explained that he has experienced Corbin High School from multiple perspectives, including student and teacher.

Crawford is a 1976 graduate, meaning he is part of the first class to graduate from the current building.

After stints in ad sales, Crawford returned to school at Union College where he earned his education degree. In 1993, he returned to Corbin High School, spending the next 17 years teaching, political science, history and AP history.

He has served as one of the school’s two assistant principals for two-and-a-half years.

“I’m not lost at what this job means to the community,” Crawford said.

“I want to do what is best for Corbin.”

Along with building consensus, Crawford said he wants to add a healthy dose of common sense.

“If we use common sense and work together, I am confident we can do great things,” Crawford said.

Superintendent Ed McNeel, who chaired the council during the principal search, noted how difficult the choice was because of the high quality of the candidates.

McNeel explained that the council held eight meetings, each of which lasted about three hours. In that time, the council developed the criteria it wanted in the new principal, and only then began pouring through the submitted resumes to begin the search.

“We had 19 outstanding candidates,” McNeil noted.

The council chose five candidates for interviews, three of whom were called back for second interviews. Each interview lasted more than one hour.

“I want to thank each and every member,” McNeil said, noting they were focused on one thing, which was finding the right person to be the principal at Corbin High School.

Crawford succeeds former Principal John Derek Faulconer who resigned in November to accept a principal’s position at a new school in the Knox County, Tenn. School System.