The support of the faculty, students and parents of Southeast Elementary School has left a lasting impression on Assistant Principal Steven Holifield, and he hopes to continue to have their encouragement when he is serving as principal next school year.
“I have been in five districts, and I can tell you Lauderdale County is, by far, the best in the state of Mississippi. I am not just saying that. I fell in love with Lauderdale County Schools and Southeast Elementary on Day One of July 2010. It has been my heart,” Holifield told Lauderdale County school board members during their monthly meeting last week.
“I always prayed, ‘Lord if it is your will, I would love to one day be the principal at Southeast Elementary,’ and I can tell you ‘thank you’ for allowing my dream to come true,” he said.
In December, Holifield was approved by the school board to become principal at Southeast Elementary beginning July 1, replacing current Principal Tanya Irby who plans to retire following the current school year. Irby, who previously served as K-12 testing coordinator for Southeast, has served as the elementary school ’s principal since June 2022.
Holifield appeared before board members at the meeting to thank them for their vote of confidence.
“I promise you that I will do my absolute best to lead this school to continue to be one of the highest elementary schools in the district,” he said of Southeast Elementary’s A rating. “I love the faculty and staff. I love the students and the parents. They mean the world to me. They come to school every day doing their absolute best.”
Born in Laurel, Holifield has worked in education for the past 22 years. He was a former math teacher and a special education teacher before coming to Southeast in 2010 to serve as assistant principal. He left in 2019 to become principal of Union Middle School, but returned to Southeast in 2021 to assume his old job as assistant principal.
“I am a personal believer in people rather than programs. Programs are great, but it’s all about the people and that’s why I love Southeast,” Holifield said. “Once a Tiger, always a tiger.”
Holifield said it is the people who make Southeast Elementary special, including the teachers, staff, students, parents and the community. He recounted a personal story from February 2022 when both of his parents died days apart from each other.
“We laid my mom to rest on a Saturday. I was overwhelmed by the faculty and staff who came from Meridian to Laurel to come and be with me and my family,” he said. “On top of that, the next week that Saturday, when we laid my dad to rest, they were there.
“That’s what makes Lauderdale County great,” he added. “Yes, we are all about academics. We want to be an A (school). We want to be the top in the state, but it’s about people. It’s about relationships. It’s about loving one another and supporting one another not only in the classroom but outside the classroom, too.”
Holifield, who lives in Chunky, has three children: Keeton, Brooklyn and Braxton Holifield.