Familiar faces to lead Landrum, Chapman high schools

LANDRUM — Spartanburg School District One recently announced the new administrators who will welcome students and faculty into the 2018-2019 school year.

Andrew McMillan will take Ty Dawkins’ position at Chapman High School, and Kegan Flynn will replace Jason McCraw at Landrum High School. 

Dawkins, of Chapman High School, and McCraw, of Landrum High School, will both take on positions at the school’s district office. Dawkins will serve as director of safety and transportation, while McCraw will become the director of operational services, athletics and energy conservation.

Their replacements are familiar faces, due to the fact that they have worked at the schools and others in the district for several years now.

McMillan just finished his 13th year in education. After teaching for seven years between both middle and high schools, he served as assistant principal at Campobello Gramling School for two years. After that, McMillan was hired at Chapman High School as an assistant principal, where he has been for the past four years.

Flynn has spent the entirety of his 16-year educational career in Spartanburg School District One, where he has been an in-school suspension coordinator, teacher, coach and, for the past three years, an assistant principal at Landrum High School. 

Smaller towns such as Landrum and Inman have a greater community feel, which is what has kept both men in this area for so long and furthers their drive as new principals, they said.

“I really like the sense of community that we have here at Landrum High School,” Flynn said. “It is great to see student who have graduated and gone on to be successful come back to fine arts and sporting events to share with me how their time at Landrum impacted their life”

McMillan experienced this community for himself, and hopes to have the chance to give back to Inman as principal, he said.

“Being principal at Chapman has been a lifelong dream of mine. I am a proud graduate of Chapman, and was shaped and molded as a young man by a tremendous support system of teachers, coaches and administrators while a student here,” McMillan said. “Being principal means that I can wholeheartedly give back to a community that has been so supportive of me and my family. I am looking forward to the opportunities presented to me to lead our students and staff to unparalleled success.”

Going into the 2018-2019 school year, both McMillan and Flynn strive to improve the schools based on the already strong foundation that has been built at both. Both Landrum High School and Chapman High School excel in providing students with educational and extracurricular opportunities, they said.

“One of the biggest priorities is to support the teachers as they develop challenging curriculum in a safe learning environment that helps prepare all students for their future success in college and/or career,” Flynn said.

“We have students from all walks of life, and my hope is that they learn in a safe, productive environment where their individual talents and passions can be fostered in a way that when they graduate, there is no doubt they are absolutely ready to tackle whatever lies ahead of them,” McMillan said.