Schools

Plymouth-Canton Schools Alum Chosen as New Canton Principal

Hal Heard III will leave his position as Romulus High School principal and transition to Canton by the second week in November.

Canton High School's new principal is no stranger to the Plymouth-Canton Community School district - he graduated from it in 1992. 

The Board of Education welcomed Hal Heard III back to the district, this time as an administrator, on Tuesday night. 

"It's exciting," Heard said about going back to Canton High School. "It's something that as a high school student that I probably would never have thought that I'd come back as the principal."

Heard said while he has not met all of the staff members yet, he thinks there may be one or two of his old teachers that are still around. 

"It will be a different side, working side-by-side as professionals with each other," Heard said. "It's been what? 21 years? Gosh, that's gone by quick. I didn't realize it's been that long."

Heard will replace former Principal Carrie Lawler, who resigned to accept a new position as the executive director of secondary education with Rochester Schools. 

Executive Director of Human Resources Monica Merritt said that the district was overwhelmed with 43 applicants for the position. 

The top 10 candidates were interviewed initially, then four were brought back for a second interview during a public forum in which the public participated by asking questions. From there, two candidates were chosen for a third round of interviews, according to Merritt. 

"We're most proud of the fact that Mr. Heard is a Plymouth-Canton graduate, actually a Canton High School graduate," Merritt said. "When checking his references, I asked one person if who we met through this interview process what we would get if we were to hire Hal Heard. And what the response was, that if you met a dynamic educator who is 100 percent student centered and dedicated to providing a high quality education for all students then you have met the real Hal Heard."

Heard will be leaving his current position as the principal of Romulus High School. He is looking to start his new position at Canton in the second week of November. 

In addition to attending Canton High School, Heard holds a Bachelor of Science from Mississippi Valley State University, a Master of Science in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University and is currently pursuing a doctorate of education degree. 

"This (Plymouth-Canton) is where I got a great education," he said. "I know that same legacy is continuing on in Plymouth-Canton Schools. It's a great school district. You always try to be in those situations where you have a great staff, great resources, a supportive community and great community partners, as far as different organizations that support the school system. You always want to be a part of that. That way, there's no limits to where students can go if you have those key things in place. It was a great opportunity."

Right now, Heard said he is most looking forward to getting to know the staff and students at Canton High School. 

"I'm excited to be joining a great team and start making positive contributions to the school and community," he said.


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