Photo by Jon Anderson
John Montgomery 11-5-18
Hoover High School Assistant Principal John Montgomery talks to the Hoover school board after being appointed as the replacement for retiring Hoover High Principal Don Hulin on Monday, Nov. 5, 2018.
The Hoover school board tonight approved Hoover High School Assistant Principal John Montgomery as the next principal at the school, replacing Don Hulin when he retires at the end of December.
Montgomery has been an educator for 34 years and spent the past 7½ as an assistant under Hulin. Hulin tonight said that Montgomery has been his “right-hand man” and that he has done his best to prepare him for the principal role. “He has a great vision for Hoover High School.”
Superintendent Kathy Murphy said Montgomery has had hands-on involvement in everything that happens at Hoover High School, whether working with students, evaluating teachers or dealing with individual education plans for special education students.
She has grown to respect him as she has observed him over the 3½ years she has been in Hoover, she said. He supports teachers and he already has established relationships with students and parents, so he should be able to step into the role of principal with much less of a learning curve than someone from the outside coming into the school, she said.
Montgomery said he is very excited about taking on the role of principal.
“I came to Hoover 7 ½ years ago, and I just fell in love with it,” he said. "The students, the parents, the teachers — they’re just special.”
Montgomery said when he first came to Hoover, he thought he might stay a few years and move on somewhere else. He has had opportunities come up elsewhere but decided to stay in Hoover instead, he said.
He thanked Hulin for everything he has done to mentor him over the years, and said he is sad to see Hulin leave but ready to keep Hoover on the same path on which it has been.
“At Hoover, we want to be champions in everything — academics, fine arts and athletics, of course,” he said. “That’s our vision. That’s what I want to be part of is continuing that … We’re going to work hard to make Hoover the best. It is going to be the best in this state and nation.”
Montgomery got his start as a teacher and coach in private schools. He spent eight years at Chambers Academy, Sumter Academy and Morgan Academy. Then he spent 11 years as an assistant principal and head football coach at Pickens County High School, four years as an assistant head football coach and teacher at Tuscaloosa County High School and four years as an athletic director and head football coach at Northside High School before coming to Hoover as an assistant principal.
Murphy and several school board members tonight praised Hulin for the job he has done at Hoover over the past 11 years and said they are looking forward to more great things under Montgomery’s leadership.
