Mitzi Dennis has occupied the principal’s office at Brookhill Elementary School for just three weeks, but she already feels right at home.

“This is wonderful,” she said. “Like a little slice of heaven.”

Dennis is the newly minted principal at Brookhill, but she’s no stranger to the classroom. She comes to the Athens City Schools system by way of Madison Crossroads Elementary School, where she spent the last seven years as principal.

When deciding whether or not to leave Madison, Dennis said the camaraderie between Athens Superintendent Trey Holladay and the board of education propelled her to apply.

“I had actually heard how wonderful Athens City Schools was,” she said. “I love their ideas that they have for Athens City. I like the direction Athens is going. I think (Holladay) has a great vision for Athens City Schools. That was part of the draw.”

Athens parents are also involved in their children’s education.

“The community is just wonderful,” she said. “They all love their schools, and the kids want to come to school. I just wanted to be part of that. It’s like a happy place all the time.”

Being a part of a relationship like that, with a clear vision and focus, has reaffirmed that she made the right choice, she said.

“I’ve been very surprised with the camaraderie,” she said. “Even when they disagree about things, they find a mutual solution. Their objective is to do what’s best for kids.”

As teachers return to prepare their classrooms for Aug. 13, the first day of classes for Athens City, Dennis is making strides to make her mark as well as fit in with the vision for Brookhill students.

“Coming into a new school, you don’t want to make dramatic changes,” she said. “One of my biggest goals is to continue the tradition of collaborative efforts among faculty, staff and administration… so that we stay focused on the students.”

A task that already seems easy with the educators at Brookhill, she said.

“The faculty is fabulous,” she said. “They have a genuine caring for the students here.”

Even facing noise from Montgomery about Common Core and other educational issues hasn’t deterred her staff, Dennis said.

“They don’t let the political aspect of what’s going on impact their focus,” she said.

Having such support from staff and administration has given Dennis the tools to work as a principal on helping the children at Brookhill, she said.

“I feel like I have the opportunity to set the foundation for them to have a successful start in school,” she said. “I feel like that I impact more lives, more students, more children — hopefully in a positive way.”