Sometimes it doesn’t take long to make an impact in a new role.

For Athens High School Executive Principal Willie Moore, it took just under a year to make his presence known.

Moore was named to the position in December 2020, and now in his first full school year in the role he has been selected as the District 8 Principal of the Year by the Alabama Association of Secondary School Principals.

Moore was chosen for the honor by his peers, fellow administrators.

“I am deeply humbled that my peers selected me,” Moore said. “I don’t take it lightly.”

Moore was highlighted by the Athens City Schools Board of Education during its meeting Nov. 18. Superintendent Beth Patton said the award is quite an honor. She congratulated Moore and said the BOE is very proud of his accomplishment.

Before being named to his current position, Moore was an assistant principal at AHS for three years before being named interim executive principal after Rick Carter was moved to a new position at the central office.

Moore has a bachelor’s degree in special education from the University of Alabama and a master’s in from educational leadership from Alabama State University. He has spent more than 26 years in education.

“It’s been amazing,” Moore said. “We have a wonderful staff and outstanding students. Our support personnel are awesome. I fell into a really good situation. They are all hard workers, and the students comply with everything we ask them to do.”

Moore was named AHS executive principal at the same meeting that Patton was officially named superintendent after being in the role as both “acting” and “interim.” Moore is the first Black executive principal at AHS, while Patton is the first female superintendent for ACS.

“It’s been an amazing run of good things happening in our schools,” Moore said. “We have our students back on campus again this year, and I’m glad the system made it possible to have them back in our buildings.”