Minden High’s Principal of 11 years is ready to embrace a new challenge.
Robin Tucker, who has 26-years experience in Louisiana schools, has accepted the position of Personnel Director for the Webster Parish School Board as of Thursday morning, Webster Parish Superintendent of Schools Johnny Rowland Jr. said.
“We are very excited about what Mrs. Tucker is going to bring to the position,” Rowland said. “She has been principal of our largest school for such a long time and dealt with many, many different situations involving her staff and employees there at Minden; with the volume of teachers that she had, and the support personnel that she had along with bus drivers and cafeteria workers… we feel good about her selection as personnel director and know she will do an excellent job.”
Tucker spent four years teaching at Lakeside before joining the faculty at Minden High School as an assistant principal. Following two years in that post, Tucker was chosen as former MHS principal Morris Busby’s successor in 2006, maintaining the role until last Thursday.
“I am very excited about my new role and the opportunity to hopefully help everyone in the parish, not just at one location,” Tucker said. “However, it is an extremely bittersweet time for me, as I have been here as principal for 11 years and assistant principal for two. Minden High has been my life and my family’s life, so there are a lot of emotions right now, but I’m very excited for this opportunity and grateful to the Superintendent and School Board for all of their support.”
Tucker has helped usher in new facilities and events at Minden during her tenure, including the upcoming Minden-Lakeside Auction. She said leaving the school was never on her radar, but opportunity came knocking.
“I’ve been praying for quite awhile,” Tucker said. “I didn’t have a plan, but this opportunity felt right. I had no idea how this would work out, but it definitely feels like a new chapter in my life.”
Tucker said in her new role she hopes she can serve as de facto cheerleader for Webster School employees. Having been inside the halls of Minden High School, she knows the difficulties and stress that employees have been living with under a seven-year pay freeze.
“That’s one of the things I’m excited about,” Tucker said. “They’ve gone through a lot these past few years and I just want to try to be a person of support for them; that they hear more often than not the good job they do and that they’re appreciated for what they do for our students. Mr. Rowland knows that, and knows we have some invaluable employees.”
Now, with less than one month until the start of another school year, the Webster Parish School Board turns its attention to the search for a new principal for its largest school.
The Minden High School principal position was opened up on Friday, July 14 and will close on Thursday, July 27 at 4 p.m. Rowland says he expects to conduct interviews with all qualified applicants Monday, July 31 and have the hire completed “well before” the start of school.