A changing of the guards

This month marks the end of an era at Mountain Brook Schools, administrators retire and change roles. 

Director of Student Services Dale Wisely will be resigning from his position of 12 years and when asked what led to him to this decision, he simply said, “Me, retiring.”

“I’ve been here for 12 years and so, you know, I’m 62, and decided if I was going to do something different, it was time to do it,” Wisely said.

Since his time with MBS, Wisely has been a staple both in MBS and the community. He has helped run All In Mountain Brook, held numerous informational sessions and conducted presentations at many monthly Mountain Brook Board of Education meetings. 

Superintendent Dicky Barlow said Wisely has been a leader in mental health and family issues during his time with the school system.

“Dale has done a fantastic job in that position,” Barlow said.

As Wisely steps away from his position, Amanda Hood, principal of Mountain Brook High School for the past five years, will be stepping up to become the new director of student services. She has been in education for 19 years and served as the assistant principal of MBHS and the principal of the junior high. Barlow said she was the “perfect person” for the position.

“Since Amanda has been here as principal, she’s had a very strong focus on the welfare of students. I’m really pleased she’ll be coming on board,” Wisely said.

“It’s a really exciting position because it is just connected to so many things that happen in our schools,” Hood said. 

Under the new title, she will be working with school counselors, school resource officers and AIMB, among many others.

“I hope my experience of serving as school principal gives a boots-on-the-ground perspective,” of everyday challenges teachers and administrators may face, she said.

In the meantime, Wisely will be moving on to the Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Hoover to be the director of family life. But he’ll be sticking around MBS as a contract employee to help with program planning and parent talks, AIMB and the transition of roles.

“Although we’re going to miss Dale, he’ll still be with us in other capacities, and we’ll move forward,” Barlow said. He said the job description for director of student services is not changing, but rather emphasizing the strengths of both Wisely and Hood.

“What the community sees is Dale talking to them about the driving contract or how to support kids with ADHD … They’re still going to have the opportunity for all that,” Barlow said. 

Hood, however, will pay more attention to school safety and security. 

“We really needed someone who had been a principal before and understands … how school works to be able to look at the ins and outs of school safety. She’s going to fit into that mold exceptionally well,” he said.

Betsy Bell is also retiring from “the most beautiful place in the world,” this summer: Cherokee Bend Elementary. She has been at Cherokee Bend for 18 years, the past 11 of which have been as principal.

She said she has always seen support for the school system — from teachers to the Central Office to the community and everyone in between — and CBE has only gotten better over the years.

Since Bell started as principal, she has had paintings from students she taught when she first started at CBE hanging in her office as well as a quote from Confucius that reads, “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

“And I feel like that’s what I’ve done,” she said. 

While Bell said she will miss her time at the school and the drive to “the most beautiful place filled with the most beautiful people,” she will now use her time to start a new adventure in real estate.

The search for a new principal for MBHS and CBE is in progress and Barlow said they hope to have new administrators announced by the end of the school year. Both Hood and Bell will be aiding in the transition process, too. As of press time, nominations were yet to be decided.