By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Jason Deason joined the team at Chilton County High School as an assistant principal shortly before classes got out for Christmas.

He already is liking what he sees at the school.

Since CCHS has two assistant principals, each has different areas of focus. Deason will cover discipline for grades nine to 11, maintenance requests, fire drills and student-led conferences.

Deason said the conferences will give students a chance to work on their resumes and other soft skills that will be helpful after graduation. Students will present to parents and guardians at the school.

He said the new position “is a blessing.”

He said students should not think someone is in trouble when they see him coming.

“I want students to be able to come into my office … to talk to me,” Deason said. “I want those relationships.”

Deason is also excited to continue Open Door Wednesdays to give community members tours of the school.

Deason has worked in education for eight years.

While he was a teacher, an administrator had encouraged him to consider pursuing leadership in education as an administrator.

He graduated from Auburn University in the summer of 2017 with a Master of Education in administration for elementary and secondary schools.

“I got to do a lot of work in Alexander City Schools,” Deason said. “I was working at the Helen Keller School of Alabama … and education staff on that campus had every third Monday off, so I was using my free time to do things with Alexander City Schools.”

Deason was able to work alongside principals and lead peer reviews, help coordinate student-led conferences and help lead the reading initiative at Benjamin Russell High School.

When he heard about the position at Chilton County High School, he applied.

“I have had several people in the process and the interview talk about Chilton County (High) and it is very community oriented,” Deason said.

This is something that appealed to Deason.

“I feel like to be an effective leader, you have to be a part of the community… I want to be a part of the culture I want to be a part of the tradition (at CCHS),” Deason said.

Deason became interested in being an educator because of his grandparents and teachers that encouraged him to achieve things he thought he could not.

“They (grandparents) instilled in me the mindset to always build a relationship with people,” Deason said.

As he has worked with students, Deason continues what his grandparents instilled on him by trying to get to know and understand them.

“From an educational standpoint what I have always said is, you need to know your students inside and outside of the school walls,” Deason said. “I feel like you have to build a relationship before you can go in and start changing everything.”

He said he likes the “rich tradition” that CCHS has.

He currently lives in Alexander City. However, his wife  is a graphic designer and works from home, so a move to Clanton is a part of their future plans.