Special to The Banner-News
During a Magnolia Middle School faculty meeting Thursday afternoon, Superintendent John Ward introduced Douglas Graham (D.J.) as the next principal at MMS. Mr. Graham is currently an assistant principal at Magnolia High School. He will succeed long-time Magnolia administrator, Gwen Carter, who will be retiring at the end of the school year.
Mr. Graham earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Education from Henderson State University. He is currently enrolled in the superintendent certification program at Southern Arkansas University. D.J. had coaching stops in Nashville, Prescott, and North Little Rock and served as assistant principal and principal at Nashville Junior High School before arriving in Magnolia.
Graham stated, "It is exciting times for me and my family as we look forward to making this move to Magnolia Middle School. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity and look forward to getting to know and build relationships with the faculty and staff. As we move forward, I am excited to build off the successes that were established by the current administration and I commit to working for our students and their success story. On behalf of my family, I would like to thank Mr. Ward and the school board members for their trust and confidence in me for this position. We are thrilled to be Magnolia Panthers and can't wait to deepen our roots in this community."
D.J. is married to Heidi Graham, and is a proud father of three: Griffin, first grade at East Side Elementary; Maddox, kindergarten at East Side; and Nash, age three.
D.J. is following Gwen Carter who is retiring after thirty-nine years in education with thirty-two years in the Magnolia School District. She began her Magnolia career in 1991 as a math teacher at Magnolia Junior High School. Throughout the years, she transitioned to dean of students and assistant principal, and worked on both the high school and junior high campuses before accepting the MJHS principal position in the 2011-2012 school year.