At a May 4 after-school faculty meeting, current Oxford High School principal Noah Hamilton announced that he would not be returning as principal for the 2022-23 school year. Hamilton will instead work at the Oxford School District Central Office as the Director of Accountability and Accreditation. According to Hamilton, his responsibilities will mainly comprise ensuring that OSD schools follow all legal guidelines associated with the Mississippi State Department of Education.

“The State of Mississippi has accountability standards and accreditation standards that have to be met by every district,” Hamilton said. “It’s pretty lengthy, it’s about a 50-page-or-more packet. It will be a part of my job to ensure that the district as a whole and the schools as individuals are fulfilling all of those requirements to meet all of our accountability and accreditation standards so that we are fully accredited, we have people in the right places, and people doing the right things in all of those areas.”

A large part of Hamilton’s new duties will deal with standardized testing and course accreditation.

“In terms of the standards, it’s state testing, it’s ACT. At the high school level, dual credit, AP courses, all of that falls under my job because that is part of the accountability model that we follow,” Hamilton said.

For Hamilton, the job will be a welcome change. He has worked in education for almost a quarter of a century, and believes working in his new position will alleviate the stress that comes with being at the helm of one of the largest high schools in the state.

“Mr. Roberson approached me about this just a couple of days ago, and kind of put it in motion,” Hamilton said. “He asked me if I was interested in wanting to do something a little different. I’m older, I’m on the backside of my career in education. I’m 24 years in, and doing something a little different is good for me, and it’s good for my family. [Being principal] is a very tiring job and one that can weigh on you pretty heavily, so at my age and at this point in my career it’s a great opportunity for me to do something a little different than what I’ve always done.”

In his new position, Hamilton will have a more indirect influence on the district’s students and employees.

“The impact that I will have will not be directly seen,” Hamilton said. “Student impact comes first from teachers, then from administrators, so my impact will be more about finding support and ensuring teachers have those abilities to impact their students in the direction and the way that each individual student needs. We’ve got 1,350 kids here roughly, so there’s almost 1,350 different things that students need. My impact will be through teachers and administrators instead of being directly able to deal with students like I am now.”

After leading OHS through an unprecedented two years during the pandemic, Hamilton will most miss having a head-on impact in the school’s proceedings.

“Being there and supporting teachers and trying to help them navigate, especially through the whole pandemic that we’ve come through, trying to navigate that craziness with virtual learning and attendance issues and just all those things that came with it,” Hamilton said. “I’m going to miss being in that direct role of supporting them and trying to help guide them through those processes. I’ll still be very focused on teachers and students, I just won’t have my hand directly in that pot.”