Jackson Free Press

Chad Shealy, principal at Gary Road Intermediate School in Byram, received a statewide honor June 21 when the Mississippi Board of Education named him the 2013 Mississippi Administrator of the Year.

Shealy has been principal at Gary Road for four years and has worked in the Hinds County School District for 12 years.

"I was an assistant principal at Byram Middle School and principal at Main Street Restart Center—the Hinds County district's alternative school—before I came to Gary Road," Shealy said. "The superintendent at the time, Doctor Stephen Hindley, asked me to come take this assignment."

Shealy, 40, has lived in Byram for nearly his whole life. He graduated high school at Byram Attendance Center in 1991. From there he went on to obtain a bachelor's degree in science and education from Mississippi College, a bachelor's of fine arts degree from the University of Mississippi, and a graduate degree in education leadership from Mississippi College.

"Teaching was a calling I couldn't get away from," Shealy said. "I've always been meant to be a teacher, and I yielded to the call. I intended to teach college at first, which drove my degree pursuits. Later I got a phone call from a friend, Kenneth Quinn, saying they were looking for local teachers in Germantown, Tennessee. I went there and applied at Rosa Scott Middle School in Madison County."

In addition to this year's award, Shealy was named the 2011-2012 Hinds County Principal of the Year and has served as president of the Mississippi Association of Middle Level Education.

"Getting this award is very humbling," Shealy said. "It's a testament to the quality of teachers I have in this building. I looked at the award and thought, 'If you can judge a leader by the quality of the people that follow him, then I must be pretty good.' It's easy to look like a good coach when you have a good team. I think success in teaching is about a collective approach to meeting the needs of a child wherever they are. I think it's important to have high expectations of every child, because every child can learn. Our school motto is 'As good as we are, we can choose to be better.' We push to challenge and make sure every student learns."

Shealy and his wife, Shanon Shealy, have been married since 1998. They have three sons: Grayson, Mayson and Riggs.