Mendenhall Junior High will usher in a new administration along with the new school year on Aug. 8.
Sydney Magee will take over as principal. Magee, who is beginning her 19th year in education as the principal of MJHS, is the daughter of Bill and Martha Salters of Natchez, Miss., and the granddaughter of the late Jim and Jessie Carlisle of Natchez and the late Marshall and Joann Salters of Mendenhall. She and husband Tony Magee have two children, Skyler and Mylie. Magee began her teaching career in Natchez as an assistant teacher in the Natchez-Adams School District at West Primary School. After graduating with a BA in elementary education, she taught in the Rankin County School System and the Simpson County School System.
Over the years, she has taught preschool, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and fifth grade. In 2007, Magee graduated with a masters in elementary education with a license in administration. She began and coordinated the READ TO ME campaign for the Simpson County School District to raise awareness of the importance of reading to children. She was chosen as the Teacher of the Year for Mendenhall Elementary and the District Teacher of the Year for the Simpson County School District in 2008. Magee has worked as the lead teacher at Mendenhall Jr. High for the past four years and in administrative capacity for six years. She is passionate about education and is very excited to continue working with the students in Simpson County as the principal of Mendenhall Jr. High.
Nick Lee has been named as the new assistant principal. He has been in education for ten years as a teacher and Coach in Simpson County. Lee worked at Mendenhall High School for one year, Florence High School for one year, and most recently serving 8 years at Mize Attendance Center. He is married to Katy Campbell Lee and they have an 8 year old son, Campbell, as well as a 5 year old daughter, Andee. Nick is an active member of Goodwater Baptist Church where he serves as a Sunday school teacher for the 7-12 grade boys, as well as belonging to many committees. He and his family reside in Magee, and he is very excited to begin his new role in the Simpson County School District.
Tressie Gwynn James will be assuming the role once held by Magee. James is the new lead teacher at Mendenhall Jr. High. She is the daughter of Larry and Nan Boone of White Oak. She is married to Art James of Puckett and they have three daughters: Alyssa, Shelby, and Rilee Nan. James begins this new position with 21 years in education. During her first 17 years, she taught every subject area in second, third, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. She has served as the librarian at MJH for the past four years. Gwynn has a passion for teaching and learning. She graduated with honors from the University of Southern Mississippi with a BA in elementary education and graduated with honors from William Carey University with a Masters in elementary education. Gwynn has been a National Board Certified Teacher since 2005.
Chassity Corkern will serve as counselor of Mendenhall Junior High. She was raised mostly in Seminary MS and following high school she attended Jones County Junior College, and then William Carey College. She graduated from William Carey in 1999 after majoring in elementary education. She began her teaching career at Scott Central Attendance Center. In 2005 she began working with Magee Middle School as the compensatory reading teacher. She began her Master of Education program in School Counseling soon after and graduated two years later from the University of Western Alabama. Corkern is married and is the mother of two sons Dylan and Jack. Due to Jack being born with several health issues that at one point was life threatening, she decided to become a stay at home mom for a year. Corkern later accepted a job as a resource teacher for Magee High School before deciding to go back to counseling. She said, “It was such a blessing to become a part of the team at Mendenhall Junior High last year. I could not have asked God for a better place to put me.” Corkern said, “I look forward to working with the students, parents and staff at MJH.”
