THE LOCKHART FILE
NAME: Dr. Craig Lockhart
AGE: 36
FAMILY: Wife, Dr. Terrie Lockhart, a business owner and National Board Certified educator; children Danielle, 10; Leah, 6; and Isaiah, 4
Education: Bachelor’s degree in biology from Fort Valley State University, master’s in educational leadership from Georgia State University, specialist and doctorate in educational leadership from Argosy University
What he’s reading right now: "From Good to Great" by Jim Collins
Hobbies: Spending time with family, serving with his fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha Inc. and reading
Newton High School’s new principal, Craig Lockhart, is set to assume duties at the school on Oct. 18.
Lockhart is assistant superintendent for support services in Bibb County. He has worked as an educator for 13 years, serving as a teacher on the middle and high school levels, an elementary school principal and a middle school assistant principal in DeKalb County.
"Craig Lockhart is one of Georgia’s outstanding leaders for learning at this time," said Newton County Schools Superintendent Gary Mathews. "We are most fortunate that he desires his children to grow up and learn in Newton County. Most importantly, he brings a commitment to instructional improvement at Newton High. For him, it’s all about the learning."
Lockhart is a National Board Certified Teacher. He was Teacher of the Year in DeKalb County in 2001 and received the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders’ Jim Puckett Outstanding Educator of the Year Award for Elementary Principals in 2009.
Lockhart wrote in an e-mail on Thursday that he sees Newton High School as a good fit, a school that has enjoyed success through the years and that has potential for continued growth.
"I am confident that by working together, this staff and community can continue moving NHS forward," he wrote.
"I plan to support the district's two non-negotiable goals of increasing student achievement and implementing more effective teaching. We will do this by working with faculty and staff to design standards-based classrooms that focus on student achievement, performance, and engagement. We will also use Response-to-Intervention strategies that will give every child every chance to succeed."
The former Covington resident also noted that he was looking forward to returning to the community and becoming a part of the Newton family.
