Photo by Erin Nelson.
Joel Henneke, the new principal at Homewood Middle School for the 2020-21 school year, stands in front of the school on Sept. 3.
Homewood Middle School’s new principal, Joel Henneke, is no stranger to the school system.
He moved to Homewood from Texas and then taught at HMS in 2004, which was the school’s first year at its current location off of Valley Avenue. The thing that stood out to Henneke from the beginning was the school’s community connectedness, he said — the parental involvement, the support from the business community and more.
He still remembers a Homewood City Schools Board of Education meeting he attended that year. He was struck by the remarks made by board members, he said.
“It was really reflective of the community and the value they placed on having a quality school system,” Henneke said. “I sat there just like, ‘Man, this is the place to be. These people get it. They support it.’”
He only taught at HMS for one year and then received his administrative certificate. He worked for Jefferson County for a couple of years before becoming an assistant principal at Hueytown High School. Then he came back to Homewood, this time as the director of the alternative school, a role he held for nine years.
He spent the last four years at HMS, a role which he said prepared him well to become the school’s principal.
“It was awesome for me to come over here and to be under (former principal) Jimmie Pearson’s leadership for four years so that when he chose to retire, I felt excited to put my name in the hat,” Henneke said. “I just left like I had been around so many good people and seen effective leadership.”
During his time as principal, Henneke said he hopes to be involved with the teaching and learning practices at HMS.
“I think from the very beginning, that’s what impressed me the most about being a part of this system — looking at each individual student and being able to say, ‘What does this student need to maximize their unique potential and to continue to grow?’” he said.
To support teachers in the classroom, Henneke said he plans to emphasize the importance of their roles and supporting them. This includes encouraging them to try something new. Whether or not the new and innovative methods are successful, Henneke said he plans to encourage teachers to share their results with everybody.
“We’re better when we realize we’re in it together — when we can support each other and learn from each other and challenge each other.”
Henneke has a background in Homewood and in Texas teaching special education. The beauty of this teaching position, Henneke said, was being able to focus on individual students.
“Every student has a unique set of needs and their own education plan,” he said. “I think that helps me in this position in that every single student is unique and has unique strengths and unique challenges or capabilities. I think it is deserving of recognition and attention to those details.”
When he isn’t working in education, Henneke said he enjoys spending time with his family and planning family vacations. His daughter is a senior at Homewood High School, and his son is in eighth grade.
“I’m so thankful that I have this opportunity,” he said. “The staff at this school is amazing, and it’s a privilege to be able to work with them. I absolutely love my job.”
