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Steve Simmons
Steve Simmons, Principal
Steve Simmons began his career as an educator in 1977 in the Petal School District.  After many highly successful years as a basketball coach, winning state championships at 3 different schools, Simmons became Assistant Principal at Petal High School in 1997 and served 6 years in that position.  In 2003, he moved to Pascagoula where he was Principal of the Pascagoula School District Alternative School for 2 years and in 2005 was named Principal of Pascagoula High School.  Simmons moved back to Petal in 2006 to begin his current position as principal of Petal High School.
 
"I will always base all of my decisions on what I feel is best for all students of PHS.  I am a firm believer in contacting parents and also in building the self-esteem of high school students.  Academic achievement will always be at the forefront of all of my work."
 
 

Since taking the helm as the principal of Petal High School, Mr. Simmons has proven his love for students.  He is a big fan of all student activities and attends many extracurricular events.  From football to basketball to show choir, band, and forensics, Mr. Simmons is frequently seen cheering students on their way to success.
 
Under his direction Petal High's Positive Behavior Support program was begun.  This program recognizes student attendance, good behavior, and academic achievement through the opportunity to earn cards- gold, silver, bronze, and blue.  Students receive small rewards and privileges determined by the card level which they have earned.
 
Also a part of PBS (positive behavior support) are "HAT parties" (homework, attendance, tardies-meaning none) for classes and "praise referrals" in which students are "written up" for extraordinary acts of kindness or unselfishness.
 
Mr. Simmons is a strong advocate for the teachers of Petal High School and their commitment to academic excellence.  He supports our tutoring programs, Teacher Support Team, and actively engages in departmental lesson study time in order to better understand the concerns of teachers as they plan to lead students to learn on a daily basis. He is always listens to the ideas of his teachers which fosters the team effort necessary for a school to be successful.
 
Because of Mr. Simmons's determination, PHS now has a "state of the art" science lab, innovative scheduling in the English department, a new building trades and digital media class in the Career and Technical Education Department, as well as an ACT-SAT prep class.
 
Mr. Simmons's leadership skills can be summed up in one word- motivation.  Perhaps because of his success as a coach, he is able to motivate all- students, teachers, and staff to work together in order to bring about success at Petal High School.
 
High expectations, compassion for others, a listening ear, the ability to motivate, and a "common sense approach" to handling problems are attributes which make Steve Simmons an effective principal for Petal High School!