Farica King, SRC High School Principal of the Year

Farica King, Principal at Central, has been named Santa Rosa County High School 2012 Principal of the Year.

On Thursday, May 24, Farica King, Principal at Central, was surprised with the announcement that she was selected as the Santa Rosa County High School Principal of 2012.  Her immediate response, “I am incredibly honored and humbled to be named as Santa Rosa County’s High School Principal of the Year. I am even more humbled by the sweet and thoughtful comments from all of my friends. I am so pleased to bring home this honor for Central and for our teachers and students! THEY are the truly deserving honorees, not me. I am the most blessed woman in the world to be Central’s principal. That itself is my greatest honor.”

Farica has worked for Santa Rosa County since the Decmeber of 1996.  She started teaching at Pace Middle school in ESE Language Arts and Reading. This is her 2nd year as a Principal.  Mrs. King was previously an Assistant Principal at King Middle School for several years.  She is the only female High School principal currently serving in Santa Rosa County.  This is the first time in the history of Central school that a principal has won this honor.  Central is her first principal-ship.

Farica  married  her high school sweetheart,  Terry King.   She says, “I have five kids at home,  and 522 at school.”  Her children are: TJ (21 – 2008 Central graduate), Ben (20 – 2010 Central graduate), Jacob (14 – 8th grade at Central), Laiken and Landon (boy/girl twins) just turned 8 — 2nd grade at Central.

Having five children of her own has definitely shaped her opinions and values as an educator.  “In all decisions, I think about my own children.  What I want for my own children is what I want for every child in my school.  I always think of how parents and students will feel before I make any decisions, whether it be about hiring someone, disciplining a child, or even when it comes to the daily schedule.  When kids arrive at my school, they are mine, too.  There is not anything I would not do for any of my children, at home or at school. “, she remarked.

“I always wanted to be a teacher, even as a little girl. I knew it was what I was destined to do.  However, I never really aspired to be a principal.  It’s just something that happened along my path.  I am still a teacher within my heart and always will be”, said Mrs. King when ask about why she began teaching.

She has been inspired and mentored by many people in our district.  To name a few:  Bambi Lockman (former ESE Director and DOE Bureau Chief), Gayle Cowley (former director of Language Arts), Dr Karen Barber (former Chumuckla Principal and current Director of Federal Programs), Conni Carnley (Middle School Director), Sherry Diamond (Elementary Director), Kenny McCay (Language Arts Coordinator), Joy Rowell (former Central teacher), Buddy Hinote (former Central Principal and current High School Director), Linda Novota (current ESE Director), Wanda Knowles (Sims Principal).

Mrs. King started teaching at Pace Middle School, grades 6-8, full-time ESE.  When Pace Middle was turned into Sims Middle and Avalon, she went to Sims Middle where she taught grades 6-8 ESE Reading, Language Arts and Science and co-taught middle grades Language Arts and Social Studies.  Several years later, Mrs. King became an ESE Liaison and then went on to become the district ESE Program Facilitator of Curriculum and Instruction  for grades K-12.  After several years working at the district office, she determined that she missed the classroom and the school atmosphere. “ I love kids!!”,  she states.

One day during the summer, she saw a job posted at Central for a general education Reading teacher.  “I had always loved Central, and I decided this was my dream job.  Mr. Owens hired me, and I went on to teach 11th and 12th grade Reading retake students, 7th and 8th grade reading remediation, and 9th/10th grade ACT prep at Central for several years.  That is when I entered the administrative pool under the advisement of Joy Rowell.  I was hired that same year to be the Assistant Principal at King Middle School.  I remained there until I was hired as Principal of Central.  I knew when I saw the opening for principal at Central it was my destiny. Central has my heart, always did and always will.  I would not want to be principal of any other school in this district.”, said Farica about her journey to Central.

Ms. King describes what it means to her to be in this position at Central, ” To me, being a principal is not about achieving status of principal or about the title. I could really care less about any of that. I prefer to be thought of as a person who is here to serve the parents, teachers, and students of Central.  I am willing to serve in any capacity that is needed, and I make it a policy to never ask of others what I would not ask of myself.  I am not a “desk sitter”, and I am in the trenches at my school daily, working side by side with my teachers and staff.

When  people ask me what is driving the changes we are seeing at Central, I can easily tell them what it is — We have a coalition of the willing at Central who are determined to create an environment that inspires academic excellence and leadership and empowers our youth to dream big dreams, take charge of their destinies, and fulfill those dreams.  When students come to us in elementary school, we have them their entire school careers. What they are or what they aren’t, we own it.  There are no excuses, no exceptions.  It is on US from PreK-12.  This is not a responsibility to be taken lightly.  There is no room for weak links. ”

Congratulations, Farica King, 2012 SRC High School Principal of the Year.