Anna Green

One local principal has taken steps to brighten the future of Troy City Schools.

Chresal Threadgill, principal of Charles Henderson Middle School, recently completed Superintendent Academy at the University of Alabama. Threadgill was one of 31 people selected across the state to go to the academy.

“The university looks for people who have the potential to be a superintendent,” Threadgill said. “You have to fill out an application to be considered for the program, and then a limited amount of people across the state are selected.”

Although Threadgill does not have his eye on the superintendent position yet, he said that he does not see himself being a principal forever.

“I step in and feel the needs in the school system where I’m needed. I would like to be a superintendent eventually, but that’s certainly not the goal right now,” Threadgill said. “However, I don’t see myself being a principal forever. I will go where I am most needed.” Threadgill said he wanted to go to the academy because he wanted to help improve Troy City Schools.

“I wanted to be able to bring more to the table. The more knowledge I have about all aspects of the school system, the more I can help improve our schools,” Threadgill said.

The academy is a program that meets once or twice a month in Tuscaloosa over the course of the year. Threadgill said the program was difficult, because there was not a great deal of time given to study.

“We had to go to class and listen to the presenters for two days, and then, on the next day, we would have a test,” Threadgill said.

“It was tough because we had a great deal of information delivered in a short period of time, and then we had a test over all of the material the next day.”

Despite the difficult exams, Threadgill scored high on all of his tests and graduated at the top of his class. “My wife was very supportive of me,” Threadgill said.

“We decided we had to make sacrifices now to prepare for the future.”

Threadgill said that he comes from a long line of principals and superintendents. “Both my grandfather and my grandmother were principals, and numerous other members of my family were superintendents,” Threadgill said.

“My uncle has a school named after him in Greenwood, Miss., so I guess teaching was just in my blood. I just love kids and being a role model.”

Threadgill graduated from Troy University with a degree in physical education, and he received his masters from Alabama State.

Threadgill said he hopes to receive his doctorate in the next couple of years.