Photo courtesy of Mountain Brook Schools
Derek Kennedy was approved to be the new principal of Mountain Brook Junior High by the Mountain Brook Schools Board of Education on June 6, 2025.
The Mountain Brook Schools Board of Education met on June 6 and unanimously approved Derek Kennedy to be the next Principal at Mountain Brook Junior High. Kennedy takes on this role after having served as Assistant Principal at MBJH since 2019.
“I am confident Derek is the right person to lead our exemplary staff at MBJH to new heights,” MBS Superintendent Dicky Barlow said.
Kennedy shared that he is thrilled and honored to take on this position.
“Mountain Brook Junior High is a special place and I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing that here as a classroom teacher, assistant principal and now am excited to further lead as this school’s principal,” Kennedy said. “Donald (Clayton) has done a tremendous job over the past 13 years transforming the junior high culture and experience for all of our stakeholders and I’m eager to continue that work.”
Prior to his time as assistant principal, Kennedy worked as a junior high history teacher and coach and received numerous awards in the classroom as an educator and on the court as a coach. He holds his Ed.S. in Instructional Leadership as well as his Educational Leadership Certification, Master’s in Education and Bachelor’s in Social Science all from the University of Montevallo.
Kennedy begins his new role on July 1. Mountain Brook Junior High begins its search for the school’s next Assistant Principal.
