Photo courtesy of Caroline Obert.
Jennifer Galloway, left, principal of Chelsea Park Elementary School and Caroline Obert, principal of Chelsea Middle School, both left their positions after four years.
Jennifer Galloway has been principal at Chelsea Park Elementary School for the past four years.
Prior to arriving at CPES, she was the assistant principal at Cherokee Bend Elementary in Mountain Brook for five years, assistant principal at Oak Mountain Elementary for four years and taught in Shelby County Schools for 12 years.
Galloway will be transferring to the central office in her new role as an HR Specialist.
“My career end goal has always been HR,” she said. “I think it’s because of some of the mentors I’ve had in my life along the way who I’ve kept in touch with who strongly influenced me and coached me who also ended up being in that role.”
The opportunity to work in HR doesn’t open up every often, so when it did, she applied.
“I thought about it and prayed that if that’s where I’m supposed to be it would happen,” she said. “But if not, I would be happy to stay at Chelsea Park. it’s been the happiest four years of my life.”
She was offered the job and is excited about that opportunity to learn another skill and have an opportunity to grow.
The longest she’s worked at any job has been five years, and she enjoys learning new things. She will also be working with Reisa Brooks, who she taught with while at Oak Mountain.
She said she should be completely in her new role at the beginning of June but was staying at Chelsea Park until the end of the school year.
“I’m finishing up my 25th year in education,” she said. “I would like to get 30 years, but I might just keep going. I like to work and will probably work until I can’t work anymore.”
This isn’t the only new role Galloway has. Her first grandchild was born in March, and she is enjoying being a grandmother.
In her new HR role, she said she is most looking forward to helping people and being able to reach even more in the educational field by hiring new teachers and recruiting graduates.
She said she will miss the people most. Someone told her before she arrived at Chelsea Park that there is nothing like the community, and Galloway said it’s the most special place she’s ever been.
Caroline Obert started her job as Chelsea Middle School principal four years ago, the same time as Galloway.
Prior to that, she was assistant principal at Oak Mountain Middle School and Hueytown High School, was a teacher and coach at Thompson High School and a teacher at Liberty Middle School in Madison.
Her husband completed his doctoral fellowship last June and moved to Huntsville for his new job. She and their two children planned to also move last June, but a series of events happened that led her to stay until the end of this year.
The couple bought a house last June, and Obert planned to move in July, as her husband started his new job July 1 after he took a job with a practice serving three Decatur hospitals. Obert remained at Chelsea Middle while also taking care of her two children, Michael (now 18 months) and Madeline (who is almost four).
“I told [Superintendent] Dr. Brooks that I would be moving, and he asked if I could start the school year off due to COVID-19,” she said. “I initially planned to stay until Sept. 15.”
Obert fell at the first football game of the season and broke her elbow, which required surgery and physical therapy. Then, some of her teachers and students began getting COVID-19, and felt she just couldn’t leave, so she pushed it to November.
In October, Obert was named Principal of the Year of District 5 and in November was named a state finalist. Then, one of Obert’s friends, Julie Yeager, became ill. Yeager was not only the person who took Obert to the ER after her fall, but also taught her husband years ago. She passed away in early December after teaching 20 years at Chelsea Middle.
Obert pushed back her leave date until the end of January, but she was then named State Principal of the Year and said Brooks told her she may as well stay until the end of the school year
She said contracts for administrators aren’t up until the end of June, and she hopes to find another principal job near her new home, but if that doesn’t work may look for an HR position.
“There are a bunch of school systems up there, so maybe I’ll land where I’m supposed to be,” she said.
The people are what Obert says she will miss most. Everyone from the central office staff, the mayor and city council, students and teachers, along with her two assistant principals.
“Our teachers are amazing. They care for our kids so much, not only academically, but truly care for them as a whole person, something you hope for all teachers in our state,” she said.
Obert recently accepted a position as Principal of Huntsville Junior High School. Her mother-in-law lives in Mt Laurel, and Obert said they will be back in the area visiting her.
