With the school year coming to a close in the next few months, Union Middle School will be gaining a new principal for the 2021-2022 school year.
Nick Smith, who is a native of Union, will fill the principal position at UMS.
“I was born and raised in Union,” Smith said. “My family has lived here [Union] for generations, so this is home to me.”
While growing up in Union, he attended school in the Union Public School District.
After graduating from Union High School, Smith attended East Central Community College. Already having discovered his passion for teaching, Smith went on to get his bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from Miss. State University and his master’s degree from the University of West Alabama.
Wanting to go even further in his education, Smith went on to receive a specialist degree from the University of Arkansas.
For Smith, being an educator has been a life-long goal of his.
“I’ve pretty much always felt like I’ve been called to be a teacher. There’s never been another career that I have wanted to have,” Smith said. “I enjoy getting to work with kids.”
Smith said that his passion for teaching was heavily influenced by the teachers he had while attending school in Union.
“The Union Public School District has an amazing group of educators,” Smith said. “All of the teachers and coaches I had were great and had an incredible impact on me.”
Taking the lessons and wisdom he gained from his teachers and mentors, Smith began his career by teaching at Carthage Middle School for three years.
He then went on to teach science and history at UMS for around 7 years. Afterwards, he took the assistant principal position at Southeast Elementary School in Lauderdale County.
After being gone from UMS for two years, Smith is looking forward to getting to work in his hometown again.
“I discussed it with my wife, and we prayed about it. But as soon as we knew it was the right choice for our family, I jumped at the opportunity,” he said. “I’m honored that Dr. Hansford and the school board members are confident that I will do the job well.”
Smith went on to say that he is looking forward to working alongside the phenomenal staff and wonderful students at UMS.
“Union Middle School has a strong culture where the teachers are invested in the students’ learning.”
Smith said that he understands that stepping into the principal roll is very serious and he plans on giving it his all.
“My No. 1 responsibility as a principal will be ensuring each student is getting a quality education,” Smith said. “I want them to grow not only academically, but socially and mentally too.”
The passion for being an educator grew exponentially when Smith began taking mission trips to Honduras with his church.
“My world view changed completely after our first trip down there. In the villages we visited, we saw people living in stick houses with dirt floors.”
Smith said that once he returned home from the trip, he began noticing all of the creature comforts he had previously taken for granted.
“When we got back home, I went to open the fridge and immediately burst into tears,” Smith said. “Here I was with a full fridge when we had just left a country where children were going hungry. I truly realized that we are blessed beyond measure”
Smith attributes the mission trips he has taken to the compassion he strives to have for students.
“You never really know what a student is dealing with at home,” Smith said. “That’s why I want to make sure while they are at school, they are shown love and compassion.”
With all of the tools and experience Smith has acquired throughout his career, he said that he is looking forward to filling his role as principal at UMS.
“It’s like coming home for me,” Smith said. “I’m excited to get back to my roots.”
