New Assistant Principal at Haleyville Elementary

HALEYVILLE - Kevin Barnwell, a familiar face at Haleyville High School, is moving across the street, bringing a positive energy to the administrative team of Haleyville Elementary as assistant principal.
Barnwell joins the elementary administrative team, including Principal Tammy Hatton and fellow assistant principal Dr. Elyse Aldridge, and will be a visible presence in the classrooms and hallways when school begins for students on Thursday, Aug. 7.
Barnwell, who was hired at Haleyville City Schools in 2023 as a history teacher, assistant football coach and assistant basketball coach, will now find himself in a different area of campus, working with an age of students with whom he has been familiar  in the field of education through the years.
Barnwell is ready to bring his enthusiasm into his new role, working with pre-kindergarten through 5th grade students on a daily basis.
“There are obviously some quality people here,” Barnwell said. 
“In education, everything  is about relationships, the students, and the relationships with your co-workers,” Barnwell continued.
“People love to work in a place where they feel needed and wanted.  That is why I am looking forward to working in a place where, hopefully, I can have a positive influence,” Barnwell stated.
Barnwell noted he appreciated HCS Interim Superintendent Candy Garner and the board of education for giving him the opportunities he has experienced at HCS.
“I will do what I can to make sure we continue making Haleyville City Schools the best it can be,” Barnwell stated.“When there is something that needs to be done, I am willing to do it.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Barnwell as our new assistant principal,”  Hatton pointed out. “He brings valuable experience and fresh perspectives to our school. We look forward to the leadership, collaboration and care Mr. Barnwell will bring to our students, staff and families.” 
Hatton was impressed at the dedication Barnwell has already shown, despite being new to that position.
“It’s not about the timeframe, it’s about the job and what is needed for this building to be successful and the children who are in it,” Hatton stated. 
“He has already put together desks for our new teachers coming in,” Hatton emphasized. 
“He will bring a positive environment in, very calm, cool and collected,” she added. “He is going to bring that positivity that is needed in the male role model in the building.
“As far as I see it, we are a three-member admin team,” Hatton stressed. “It’s going to be a great year.”
Aldridge noted Barnwell will be a good Christian example for the students.
“He will be a good role model,” Aldridge stated. “I think it’s important for children to have good positive male role models.”
Garner recalled that Barnwell was teaching 9th grade history at the high school, while she was high school assistant principal.
“He is a phenomenal classroom teacher,” Garner recalled. “He taught bell-to-bell every single day and had a fabulous rapport with our students, just totally invested in what he presented each day in class.”
When Barnwell was recommended for elementary assistant principal, she informed Hatton that she receiving a “star” assistant principal, Garner added.
A native of Hackleburg, having graduated from Hackleburg High School in 1989, Barnwell has worked through the years in both physical therapy and education.
A veteran of the U.S. Army, Barnwell went to Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, studying in the physical therapy assistant program, and later worked in physical therapy from 1994 until around 2003.
At that point in his life, Barnwell sought a different avenue, attending Athens State University earning a bachelor of science in social science.  In 2013, he earned a master’s degree in instructional leadership from the University of North Alabama, he said.
“I have always wanted to teach,” Barnwell said.
Barnwell’s first job in education was at Marion County Alternative School in 2003.
Also, in Marion County, Barnwell was at Phillips School in Bear Creek during the 2011-2012 school year, where he was history teacher, head girls basketball coach and assistant football coach.
 Barnwell has also worked at Russellville Middle School as a history teacher and varsity assistant football coach at the high school,  head B-team basketball coach and head middle school softball coach. Barnwell  also worked at Russellville Elementary as At-Risk teacher.
From 2018-2023, Barnwell was head football coach and a history teacher at Phil Campbell High School before coming to Haleyville City Schools.
Barnwell is married to the former Jacqueline Williams, from Double Springs. They have two children, Luke, 23, and Jacob, 19.