Jacob Drury to take helm at Neshoba Middle School
A new Neshoba Central Middle School principal was hired last Tuesday morning by a unanimous vote of the Neshoba County School Board.
Jacob Drury, currently the assistant principal of Northeast Lauderdale High School, will take the helm at Neshoba Middle School on July 1, replacing Cody Killen who resigned to take a position in another school district.
Drury and his wife, Courtney, currently reside in Neshoba County. They have four children: Kinsley, 3, Aiden, 7, Reiney, 8 months and Ashtyn, 15.
Drury is originally from Noxapater and his wife, from Meridian.
He introduced his family to the School Board Tuesday and called his new position “a dream job.”
Neshoba County Superintendent of Education Lundy Brantley said Drury “brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our district. He truly shares the ‘One Neshoba’ mindset that we have developed over the past four years. Mr. Drury is a true ‘academic’ who is focused on student achievement and seeing that all of our students and staff members grow each day. We are very excited about having Mr. Drury on our team.”
Drury told the School Board that he was “humbled and honored to be given this opportunity. It’s honestly a dream job for me. It’s not something that I tried to get, the Lord let it happen. He let it come to me. My family lives here. My kids go or will go to school here. So I have just as much of a stake for not just the middle school, but all the schools to be successful.
“I want you to know that I am going to give it my all. Go Rockets!”
The Drurys have lived in Neshoba County since June 2017. They attend Mars Hill Baptist Church.
He loves baseball, basketball and football and spending time with his family.
The Drurys like to travel. While he favors the mountains, his wife prefers the beach! They also enjoy camping.
“I like to grill because I like to eat,” Drury said.
His goal at Neshoba Middle School is to help the school continue to go in the right direction to make it as great as it can be.
“I think that is my number one priority,” he said. “I want the school to continue to grow and be successful. I want the community to be proud of the school and the students to be proud to be a part of the school as well.”
Drury said he would like to finish his career at Neshoba Central.
“I’ve got 21 years left. It would be awesome to look up in 21 years and still be here,” he said.
Before going to Northeast Lauderdale, Drury was an assistant principal at Meridian High School and an academic coach for the Meridian Public School District.
In his earlier years, he was a mathematics teacher at Carver Middle School in Meridian, where he was named Teacher of the Year in 2015-2016. Before that, he was a mathematics teacher and football coach at Armstrong Middle School in Starkville.
Drury earned his Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Ark., his Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Mississippi State University and an associate degree from East Central Community College.