As the second semester begins, it is time that we get to know the people who make the most important decisions in our school, the administrators. As of this year, we have had the privilege of gaining a new Athletic & Activities Director, Mrs. Allen, and along with that Mr. Anderson has taken over the role of vice principal.  While we have gained some new faces in the building, one has remained the same, Mr. Jeff Johnson, our profound principal.

Whenever it is time to choose what one wants to do in life there are major factors that play a part. Mrs. Allen had previously worked at Herrin Elementary School, and then decided to make the switch to become an administrator at Herrin High because she “[wanted] to help teachers grow, and to help students achieve their goals in life.” She is a dedicated and passionate leader who strives to make the most out of our school and doesn’t let any challenges come in her way. 

Mr. Anderson recently moved to the role of vice principal after being the Athletic Director for many years. When the position opened up, he saw the opportunity at hand and was proven to be the best candidate for this position. He is very devoted to his job and aspires to promote our school in the way he sees best, not only for the school as a whole, but also for the students.

While he can be intimidating and serious, Mr. Johnson, our principal, wants to make an important impact on the school and on all the students that attend. His goal is to be a positive role model and help as many students as he possibly can, while still being the leader and guide that we need.

There will always be downsides in choosing administration, but there will also always be an abundance of upsides, as well. The challenge that our school has faced this past year is returning to school after having almost three years of COVID-19, which was spreading its negativity not only through physical sickness, but draining everyone’s minds mentally. It has been hard to adjust after not having “normal” school for so long, but our administrators have done a fantastic job making sure that we are getting back into the groove of things.  While this may have been a challenge, our administration team also sees this as a success.  They have managed to get our school running almost 100% back to normal, while also adding on things that are making a difference in the lives of each and every student.

Our administrators work very hard at their jobs and do deserve some time where they can relax and just be themselves. While everyone likes to sit at home and spend quality time with their family, Mrs. Allen also enjoys traveling to the beach, going to baseball games, and loves being able to go to a good concert. Mr. Anderson is very active in his church and really enjoys bicycling. Every morning he wakes up super early to work out, because it is one of his passions in life. If you ever want to go on an adventure in the woods or roast a marshmallow, ask Mr. Johnson to tag along because he enjoys going camping and sitting next to the fire in his free time.

With all of our administrators being uniquely different from the other they all have their own personality and way of doing things. Mr. Johnson likes to tell jokes and make people laugh, and Mrs. Allen loves to give sugary treats to her fellow admin, even if Mr. Anderson turns her down most of the time because he is a “health nut” as Mr. Johnson put it. 

Even though our administration team is all different, they work very well together. No matter what comes up they seem to be able to handle it as a whole and not just individually. We are so glad to have the administrator team that we do, and couldn’t ask for a better set of role models.