I'm so excited to return to Lugoff-Elgin Middle as the Assistant Principal. They do say, "Once a Leopard, always a Leopard."  This will be my 21st year in education. 21st year in 2021! What a funny coincidence! For the past three years, I was the Assistant Principal at Pine Tree Hill Elementary in Camden. Although I loved my time at Pine Tree Hill, I have a special place in my heart for middle-level education. From 2012-2018, I served at LEMS as an ELA teacher (2012-2014), interventionist (2014-2017), and Assistant Administrator (2017-2018). I grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts, which is a city right outside of Boston. I earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in English in 1996 at Notre Dame College. In 2000, I received a Master’s in Elementary Education and began teaching in Dover, Delaware.  I moved to South Carolina in 2005. Since then I've taught in two other districts in South Carolina. I also taught for a year in Louisiana before joining Kershaw County School District. In 2011, I earned an Ed. S. in Educational Leadership with principal certification. In 2020, during the craziness of the pandemic, I earned my Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Liberty University.  

      During my senior year of college, I married my husband, Glaysen in beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii. My husband served in the U.S. Air Force until retiring in 2010. He is a now teacher in Sumter School District. My husband and I have two children. My daughter, Cassidy, is a graduate of the University of South Carolina Beaufort, and is finishing her Master's in Exercise Physiology at Liberty University. My son, Glaysen, is a junior at Clemson University studying to be an electrical engineer.  In my free time, I love to travel, especially to Disney World, and I love spending time with my family. I am excited about this year, and I look forward to working with you all. If you need anything, please feel free to contact me. I can be reached through email or by phone. My email is tammy.small@kcsdschools.net.