Leadership changes hands at Tharptown

By Staff
Jonathan Willis
A lot has changed since David Hogan arrived as principal of Tharptown Junior High School in 1998.
Students are no longer attending class in trailers, there are no gravel parking lots and, the biggest change of all, students no longer have to leave the community after ninth grade. The recent addition of Tharptown High School has led to an increase in student enrollment at both schools and officials expect that trend to continue.
Hogan sees this as a good time to pass the torch on to someone else and retire as the school's principal.
"There's been a lot of change out here and a lot of growth," said Hogan, who spent almost 40 years in education as a teacher, coach and administrator.
"This is a good community and they support our kids and the school."
Barry Laster, a Tharptown native who served as the high school's head football coach last season, has been named principal at the elementary school. A former assistant football coach, Clint Nunley, is expected to be named head coach.
The high school also will have a new principal this year. Long-time Phil Campbell teacher and administrator Gary Odom will replace Darrit Riddle who moved to Phil Campbell as assistant principal and head boy's basketball coach.
Laster grew up in Tharptown and sees the opportunity to serve as the school's principal as a dream come true.
"This is a great opportunity to work with these kids and this community," he said. "There have been a lot of changes and a lot of good things going on here and I hope to build on that and continue what we have going."
During the change in leadership, Hogan and Laster decided to hang photos of all the school's former principals in the office. With that, however, they need some help from the community.
They are looking for photos of these former principals: McKinley Daily, Estelle Floyd, Wallace Wimberley, Peter Hall, Fletcher Sission, O.J. McBrayer, A.C. Yielding and Gary Smith. They also need the years of service for Wimberley, Hall, Sission and McBrayer.
A photo of longtime secretary Diane Mims, who has worked at the school since 1978, will also be placed on the wall.