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Photos by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Chelsea Bayko, the new principal at Rocky Ridge Elementary, seen in her office.
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Photos by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Carl Berryhill, the new principal at Trace Crossings Elementary School, stands in the atrium at the school.
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Photos by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Taylar Posey, the new principal at Riverchase Elementary School, stands outside the front entrance at the school.
Three Hoover elementary schools have new principals in place for the 2024-25 school year, including two with extensive experience in the Hoover system.
Chelsea Bayko has taken the helm at Rocky Ridge Elementary, following Dil Uswatte, who left to become the chief academic officer at the i3 Academy public charter school in Birmingham.
Carl Berryhill is stepping in at Trace Crossings Elementary, where former Principal Quincy Collins decided to take a one-year leave of absence, and Taylar Posey is now leading Riverchase Elementary instead of Alice Turney, who left to be the elementary principal at i3 Academy.
Superintendent Kevin Maddox said Hoover likes to develop leaders from within its own system, noting that Bayko and Berryhill both have been in Hoover for some time. Bayko spent seven years as an assistant principal at Bluff Park Elementary and this past year as an assistant principal at Simmons Middle, while Berryhill was an assistant principal at Gwin Elementary for four years and Green Valley Elementary for one year.
However, sometimes the best candidate to fill a vacancy comes from outside the district, as was the case with Posey for Riverchase, he said. She has 10 years of administrative experience, including four as an assistant at Meadow View Elementary in Alabaster, five as an assistant at Thompson Middle School in Alabaster and one year as principal at Brookwood Elementary in Tuscaloosa County.
All three of the new principals have worked at multiple schools under several leaders, which has given them diverse experiences and allowed them to see different leadership styles, Maddox said.
Sometimes, it’s just a matter of looking for the right fit for a particular school based on someone’s background, experiences and personality, he said.
“I feel like all three of the principals we selected fit exactly what those schools need right now,” Maddox said. “I have complete confidence in all three of them, as I do in all of our principals. I know they’re going to do a great job.”
Bayko said she’s thrilled to be at Rocky Ridge and carry on the legacy of Uswatte, whom she described as a “go-getter.”
“The parents have been awesome. The teachers have been so welcoming,” Bayko said. “I’ve met a couple of students, and I’m just so excited to see the smiles on their faces.”
Her main goals are to celebrate diversity and build a positive school climate where all students can thrive, she said. She’s also very passionate about developing leadership in students. She was excited to see that Rocky Ridge follows a “house” system similar to what is in place at Bluff Park, dividing the entire student body and faculty into groups that span across different grade levels, because she believes those connections are important.
She’s also passionate about building teachers into leaders and has a collaborative leadership style, she said.
Berryhill said he’s excited to be at Trace Crossings and continue the great work that Collins did there. He has dreamed of becoming a principal and looks forward to building relationships with the students, faculty and families there and making it the best possible experience for students, he said.
“I’m a servant leader, and I think relationships are important,” he said. “I love Trace Crossings because of the diversity. I feel like this is the place I’m supposed to be in. It’s like a melting pot.”
He believes he’s there to help make sure kids get all their needs met, whether educational, emotional or social, he said.
Posey, who is entering her 18th year in education, said she, too, is excited about being at Riverchase and has a lot of new and fun ideas she wants to bring to the school.
“I do my best to try to build relationships with the faculty, staff and students, and I feel if you have a good culture and climate, the rest of it tends to fall into place,” she said.
