Kandye Jones said she never wanted to be a principal, but she has always loved being in a school.

“When I was little I always played school,” she said.

She said, before applying for the principal position at Piney Chapel Elementary, she prayed for God to give her a sign.

“I’ve had all these little God winks along my career,” she said. “When my mom died, my God wink was my butterflies. I would see a butterfly and would always think about my mom.”

Now, a teacher brought her a present, none other than a butterfly shaped necklace, and the teacher wrote in the card thanking Jones for being a God wink herself. That was when she said she knew God was telling her that was what she needed to do.

Jones has a long history in Limestone County Schools, from being a student herself to a teacher and then an administrator. She went to Owens Elementary and then to West Limestone in high school.

“During my years at Owens, I had such phenomenal teachers that made a difference in my life,” she said. “Just being loving and making sure I got a good education, and even at high school, I had great teachers at West Limestone.”

Her mom was a single parent and she was an only child, so it was just the two of them at home. Early on she said those teachers who poured into her were God winks.

“Back in the day there wasn’t any type of after school care,” she said. “And I was a pistol … I was that elementary kid that when the teacher got their school class roll in August they would go, ‘Oh no, I got her’ because I was a little spitfire there.”

After she graduated high school she wanted to go to college and be a teacher, but she said her mom couldn’t afford to send her. So, she got a job at the Walmart in Athens and paid her own way through school at Calhoun Community College and then Athens State University.

In fall of 1993, she began her teaching career at Johnson Elementary. She was there for five years before starting at Madison Crossroads for a year since she lived in Hazel Green. She said when Sparkman Middle opened the following year she took a position there because she had taught sixth grade while at Johnson she said. A little while later, she said her daughter was about to start kindergarten at Hazel Green and a 3rd grade position was open there so she ended up there for 12 years.

When she had her son, Christopher, she said she decided to come back to Athens and stay home with him because he had some challenges and had to have a heart monitor when he was born. It was only for a year and a half before a call came from Johnson Elementary where she had begun her career. A teacher there was retiring and told the principal that Jones would be the perfect person to take her class for the year. While Johnson couldn’t hire her after that, since it had been something like a Title I leave, she said, Piney Chapel hired her as a third grade teacher.

“Best teaching year of my whole career,” Jones said. “The children at Piney Chapel changed my life.”

After that year, Christopher was starting school at Johnson, so once again she went back there to serve as the reading coach. She said then the split assistant principal position between Johnson and Piney became available and she has taken that on for the last two years.

“I was going to retire. Well then, I kept thinking about these children here,” she said. “I’ve always said I never wanted to be a principal and I haven’t. I’ve always loved being an AP, and I was going home.”

But, she saw Piney Chapel needed a friendly face. She said it’s the school’s last year before the kids move to Elkmont Elementary. She was officially hired as the principal on June 27.

“I hope to be a God wink for this community, these children, this faculty for their final year here to merge them to Elkmont,” she said. “They’re going to be moving to a state of the art building that’s just going to be phenomenal.”

She said it’s the little things, such as making connections with the children, that make her job all worthwhile.

Last year, she stepped out one afternoon when she heard teachers calling for a young girl running in the halls, and the little girl stopped and looked at her and said, “Elsa!” Jones had her blonde hair in a side braid and though the girl did not speak much English, Jones said that she instantly took to her because of her resemblance to the Disney character.

“I understand being poor. I understand a single parent home. I relate to them, and I try to give them hope. If you work hard and you get a good education, you can do anything you want to,” she said. “I just try to be a positive light to them.”