The Crenshaw County Board of Education hired new administrators for Luverne High School and Highland Home School at a special-called meeting on Monday morning.

Greg Pittman, assistant principal at Luverne High School, was named the new principal for LHS.

Current principal Chuck Alford is facing deployment for National Guard duty, and his transfer to assistant transportation supervisor for the county was approved in March.

Pittman is a 1984 graduate of Luverne, and has a Master’s Degree in Education Leadership.

“He is highly qualified in two areas: general science and history,” said Superintendent Randy Wilkes.
Wilkes also said that while Pittman has been the assistant principal at Luverne, he has worked with faculty and to produce a 65 percent reduction in office referrals and a 68 percent reduction in physical altercations.

Pittman is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, and he has served for 29 years, including two stints in Iraq.

He is the son of Windham and Patricia Pittman, who worked in the Crenshaw County School system for 24 and 25 years, respectively.

Pittman is married to Daun Pittman, and they have two children, HeartLee and PresLee.

The board approved the hiring of Trevor Kribbs, former principal of Ranburne High School, to fill Pittman’s position as assistant principal at Luverne.

However, Wilkes said Tuesday that Kribbs would not be taking the position.

Wilkes said that issues had come up during the hiring process, and the assistant principal’s position would remain open as the board continues the search and hiring process.

Barry Gross was hired as the new principal at Highland Home.

Elton Mitchell has been serving as the interim principal at HHS since Joseph Eiland took a job with the State Department of Education in March.

Gross spent just one year at Greenville High School after spending 15 years working as a teacher and assistant principal in Georgia.

He served as assistant principal at Echols County School in Statenville, Ga., for four years prior to coming to the Camellia City.

It was that experience at a school serving kindergarten though 12th grade that attracted Gross to the Highland Home opening.

“I like the community aspect of a unit school,” Gross said. “Highland Home has a strong community with good parent involvement. A lot of the teachers have been at the school for a long time and love it, and have put a lot into it. I’m looking forward to being a part of that community.”

Gross has a background in elementary education and fine arts. He received his bachelor’s degree from Montevallo University before going on to receive his master’s degree from Troy University.

Katrina Roper Smith was also hired as the assistant principal at Highland Home.

Over the past 10 years, she has served as principal of Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, assistant principal of McIntyre Junior High School and Curriculum Director for Anniston City Schools.

She holds an Education Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership.

Smith is a native of Georgiana, and is married to “La La” Smith of Luverne. The pair has two children, which are enrolled at Cumberland University and Auburn University, respectively.

Smith fills the position vacated by Sherry Sport, who was hired as the Special Education Coordinator for Crenshaw County Schools.

In other personnel moves, Bob Williams, a business teacher at Luverne High School, was hired as the technology coordinator for the county system.

He is a former employee of Microsoft, IBM and Sun Microsystems and has over 30 years of experience.

Andy Brown contributed to this report.