By Melanie Patterson

The North Jefferson News



Mary Beth Blankenship is eyeing her new job as a principal the same way she eyed her new job as a volleyball coach 13 years ago.

The Jefferson County Board of Education recently promoted Blankenship from an assistant principal at Gardendale High School to the new principal at North Jefferson Middle School.

The promotion follows NJMS principal Pam Horton’s recent announcement of retirement.

Blankenship knew little about volleyball when she was hired as a volleyball coach and teacher at Gardendale High School, but her boss was convinced she could do it.

Under her leadership, the GHS volleyball program went to five state tournaments within the next 10 years.

She owes her success to “spending time with successful coaches,” and learning from people who knew more than she did.

Blankenship plans to take the same approach when she transfers to North Jefferson Middle School in a few short months.

“I know there’s a lot of people who will support me and help me,” said Blankenship recently from her office at GHS.

Even so, Blankenship is considerably more prepared for her new job as principal than she was as a volleyball coach.

The Jefferson County Board of Education has an intensive three-tier training program for assistant principals to prepare them for the move up to principal.

The program is administered through the school board’s Department of Professional Learning and is headed up by Dr. Julie Hannah.

Blankenship has been mentored and trained, has attended work sessions and has visited successful schools to see how it’s done.

“The professional development in Jefferson County is the best by far for training,” said Blankenship.

She said that because of this training, Jefferson County is able to hire principals within the system.

“They know what they’re going to get,” she said.

Blankenship has a mixture of butterflies and excitement about starting her new job.

“Mrs. Horton has done a great job. I have some big shoes to fill,” said Blankenship. “But it’s going to be exciting to be that school’s leader. It’s what I’ve been training for. It’s always good to have new challenges and new ideas.”

Blankenship has already received a warm welcome at NJMS when she attended the school’s awards day recently.

“The faculty and staff have been very nice,” she said. “I felt very welcome there.”

Blankenship said her goal is to grow and to improve with the middle school, which is only four years old.

“It’s obviously a good school,” she said. “My goal is for North Jefferson to be considered one of the best middle schools in the state. I want our school to be one of the schools everyone wants to visit.”

Blankenship, who has been at GHS for 13 years, said she was torn between applying for the principal’s position and staying at Gardendale.

“This is bittersweet for me,” she said. “I hate to leave people who have been such great friends and mentors. But I prayed about it and this is the door that the Lord has opened. Either way was a win-win for me.”

Blankenship is also sad that she will leave GHS before the new high school is built.

“I was there for the packing, the moving to trailers, and the demolition,” she said.

The north campus of GHS was demolished and will soon be rebuilt, and then the second half of the school will be demolished and rebuilt.

Blankenship grew up in north Alabama. Her parents still live near Muscle Shoals.

She attended the University of Montevallo in 1981 and has been in the area ever since.

She knew from the time she was a junior in high school that she wanted to be a teacher and a coach.

“I had some great teachers and coaches and I knew I wanted to do the same thing,” Blankenship said.

She began her teaching career in 1986 at Pelham High School, where she taught and coached until 1994.

She then worked for eight months for the city of Pelham Parks and Recreation Department, but felt the pull to get back to teaching.

She taught and coached at West Blocton High School in Bibb County from 1994 to 1995, and then was at GHS from 1995 until now.

GHS principal Dr. Anna Vacca talked with Blankenship five or six years ago and encouraged her to go into administration. Blankenship became an assistant principal in January 2005.

Although she misses coaching during playoffs and state tournaments, Blankenship said she enjoys being in school administration.

“I don’t like some things I have to do, but I love what I do,” she said. “I enjoy coming to work every day.”