Andrew Gunn is the principal at Oak Mountain High School. In this interview, he shares what he loves about working in education and what’s special about OMHS.
Q: What inspired you to work in education?
A: What inspired me to work in the education industry? I always had great teachers as I was growing up. They led me down a path that I really wanted to give back myself, and once I got involved in it I really enjoyed it. I felt it was something that I fit well to and I’ve enjoyed it for 21 years now.
Q: What is something great about your school?
A: What is something great about my school? I have to say it’s the kids and the community. There’s so many great things going on here and we have so many great teachers. We have so many great people who work here every day, but we’re nothing if we don’t have the kids and the community that support us. The best thing about Oak Mountain High School is the 1,600 kids that walk in here every day, and it’s an honor to work with them and support them and watch them grow and mature and see all the great things they do when they go off into the world.
Q: Tell us something about you that people might not know.
A: Something about me that people might not know? I’m pretty much an open book, it’s hard to say. But, I’m extremely busy, work really hard. I have a lot of family to take care of and a big school to run. But, I enjoy it. It’s a lot of hard work, but I wouldn’t want to do anything else. I absolutely love it.
Q: Tell us about an educator who was important to you while in school.
A: Oh god, I had so many. I think the first one that would come to mind would be— I went to a small school, so I had the same math teacher for a couple of classes— Ms. Howard. She was one of the hardest working people that I’ve ever been around, and she was so kind but she also pushed you and she made sure you were living up to your potential and made sure that you were doing the best you could do. She really inspired me a lot, and, the older I get, the more I reflect on her and the more I appreciate what she was able to do for us and so many other kids.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job?
A: What is the most rewarding part of my job? That’s easy. It’s seeing the kids be successful. It’s supporting amazing teachers doing great things that, in part, support the students that we serve. Every day I come into work, I feel rewarded, I feel like this is greatest job that you could have largely because of the people we support and the way they support our kids.
