Brown to be next principal at McKenzie

TORI J. NORRIS | The Greenville Standard

McKenzie School 1994 alumnus Miles Brown will be the next principal for McKenzie School following the retirement of Mike Gunter.

Brown was approved to take over the role of principal at McKenzie at last week’s Butler County School System Board meeting.

For the past three years, Brown has served as Assistant Principal under Gunter and has already hit the ground running only days after board approval.

“He (Brown) has truly hit the ground running with meetings on his first days to discuss all sorts of plans he has for his school,” said Superintendent Amy Bryan. “From hiring personnel to planning for the construction issues to come on his campus, there are many decisions he has to make.”

After graduating in 1994 and attending college and working in a couple different school districts, Brown returned to McKenzie on April 12, 2006.

“That is a day I will never forget,” said Brown. “I was coming home and it was always something I wanted to do.”

He served seven years as the head football coach, athletic director and math teacher before becoming assistant principal.

Brown said being the principal of McKenzie School has been something he has imagined since he was a student at McKenzie.

“Dwight Vickery and Billy Pritchett were two of my principals during my time at McKenzie,” said Brown. “As a child you look for idols and these two men were mine and I looked up to them a lot. I always thought it would be cool to do what they do.”

Brown also said he has worked for two great principals at McKenzie. “Mr. Randy Williams gave me the chance to come home when he hired me in 2006,” said Brown. “If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be in this position now.” Mr. Gunter was more than a principal to Brown, he was a really good friend. “He was wonderful to work for,” said Brown. “He gave me a chance to be me and allowed me to be innovative in the role of Assistant Principal.”

Brown is now focusing on his new role and has two main areas of focus: putting kids first and communication. “I am going to focus on putting the kids first,” said Brown. “And to do this we have to communicate. I want there to be an open line of communication between me and the teachers, the students and the parents and vice versa. If we are all on the same page, we will achieve the best results for the students.”

“Anyone can see the passion he (Brown) has for McKenzie school and the community,” said Bryan. “He will be working to make McKenzie proud of him as well as continue to be proud of their school.”