Bill Gibson

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Anthony Cloud

Staff Writer

A few weeks ago, Bill Gibson was at home enjoying his retirement. On Monday, he entered as the new principal of Frakes School Center. Gibson steps in to replace Steve Ely, who is the new athletic director and assistant principal at Bell County High School.

Gibson said he came out of retirement because he had an interest in the Frakes School Center. He plans to stay with the school for as long as possible.

Gibson said he plans to get Frakes “where it needs to be.” He wants to make Frakes the number one school in the district.

“The community really supports the school,” said Gibson. “I want to keep that tradition going.”

Gibson wants to teach leadership in a way that will want the students to come to school on a daily basis.

Gibson is no stranger to the academic field. He started out as a teacher at Yellow Creek School Center, where he spent eight years.

Following his time at Yellow Creek, Gibson took his first position in administration when he became the principal for Harmony Elementary School. Gibson decided to apply for the position at Harmony because it was close to his home.

Harmony is also where Gibson went to school when he was a young boy. He remained principal at Harmony for eight years. Following his time at Harmony, Gibson took a position as principal at Long Jack School Center, where he stayed for seven years.

According to Gibson, the biggest difference between Long Jack and Frakes is the size of the school. He stated Frakes was a small community whereas Lone Jack school receives several students from different areas in the county.

Being principal at Frakes is similar to being principal at Harmony because the schools are similar in size and the number of students are about the same, according to Gibson.

Gibson received his bachelor’s degree from Cumberland College and his master’s from Eastern Kentucky University. He then received his Rank I from Union College.

Anthony Cloud is a staff writer for the Middlesboro Daily News. He can be contacted via email at acloud@heartlandpublications.com.