Words by Anna Lee Vaughn | Images by Ryan McGill
Jody Harrison has accepted the principal position at Cordova High School and will begin serving at the start of the 2024-2025 school year.
With 21 years of experience in education, Jody has consistently demonstrated a passion for promoting student success.
Jody holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
His journey into education was unexpected, sparked by a knee injury while playing baseball as an undergraduate at the University of Montevallo.
This injury forced him to reassess his future, and he decided to combine his interests in mathematics and working with children to pursue a career in education.
He began his career as a math teacher at Curry High School, and later Valley Jr. High. Aspiring to become an assistant principal, he honed his skills over the years and eventually secured the assistant principal position at Dora High School, where he stayed for five years before returning to Valley as principal.
“I was not necessarily looking to become principal, but I built relationships with so many people there who I genuinely care about. Becoming principal became the next logical step,” he says/
This fall, Jody looks forward to his new role as Cordova High School’s principal.
Approximately 70% of his students from Valley will transition to Cordova High School, and he is excited to continue fostering relationships with these students and their families while also connecting with new ones.
“Cordova is a very tight-knit community, and contributing to that is my main focus. I not only want these students to be successful, but I hope to promote a family-oriented mindset among all the students, teachers, and administration,” Jody says.
“My goal is to help everyone in the school in any way that I can, and that should be the ultimate goal for anyone who walks in the door.” WL
