Elizabeth Butler Brings New Energy to Hancock High

Talk of the Town - November 2024

As the new principal of Hancock High School, Elizabeth Butler’s years of experience as an educator and administrator and her dedication to the success of her students will pave the way for great success.

- By Maurice Singleton

Elizabeth Butlet (second from left) shares a proud moment with members of the HHS faculty.

Elizabeth Butler brings energy, enthusiasm, and experience to her position as principal of Hancock High School in Kiln. Butler has a competitive spirit, which developed when she played youth basketball, and it drives her expectations for Hancock High School, which routinely performs among the top schools in the state.
 

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“Elizabeth Butler has brought new energy to Hancock High,” said Hancock County public schools superintendent Rhett Ladner. “She’s focusing on strengthening our school culture and pushing academic success. Her leadership inspires students and faculty to do their best, making Hancock High an even better place to learn and grow.”
 

 
Butler celebrates her 22nd year as an educator and her twelfth year as an administrator. She also brings a broad array of teaching and administrative experiences, having worked at Pascagoula, Vancleave, East Central, and George County high schools. She believes these experiences have equipped her with insights, skills, and tools to meet the challenges in her role as principal.
 
“I think that working at different schools presents many different perspectives. I can see what things have worked or haven’t worked at different places,” Butler explained. “I’ve definitely seen excellent teaching; I’ve seen excellent administrators. (I’m) just taking all of that good and applying it here where I can. You can’t take somebody else’s playbook and use it in its entirety, but I can pull from those other four high schools.”
 

 
Hancock High currently ranks as one of the top schools in the state and has ambitions to improve. “We are currently the number eight high school in the state,” said Butler. “So, of course, we are looking to become the number one high school. That’s obviously the goal. We have all the ingredients to be the number one high school. Putting systems in place to get us there is my role.”
 
The ingredients she speaks of are dedicated teachers and hard-working students who are committed to the vision of a better and stronger high school.
 
Butler plans to implement regular data meetings, both with teachers and one-on-one with students. She says these meetings will make the most significant difference in student outcomes.

 
Lacey Vitalec, a science teacher for 13 years, discussed what she sees as Butler’s strengths: “Mrs. Butler has been a blessing to our school. She is student-driven and cares about her teachers. She always walks the halls with a smile and truly wants what is best for Hancock. We are thankful for her and cannot wait to see what the future holds!”
 
Mrs. Butler is encouraged about the new location of the Pearl River Community College campus, which is practically walking distance from Hancock High, and the opportunities for some Hancock graduates to continue their education close to home.
 

 
“I think the community college is so important for the masses,” she explained. “You have a few who need to go straight to a four-year university, but the community college is better for the majority.”
 
Butler began her college career at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. After graduating with her associate’s degree, she continued at the University of South Alabama and then the University of Southern Mississippi, where she graduated with her bachelor's and master’s degrees, respectively. She proudly displays these diplomas on the wall behind her desk in her office.
 

 
Butler seems to be a great fit at Hancock for a variety of reasons. Her enthusiasm is evident as she talks about the Hancock boys’ and girls’ golf teams finishing first at the state competition recently, and the girls’ volleyball team winning the South State Championship. But her competitive spirit doesn’t just apply to the sports teams.
 
Amanda Pidgeon, chairperson of the English department and an 18-year veteran educator, said Butler’s presence is energizing. “Mrs. Butler has brought a renewed energy to our school that has made teachers and students alike feel seen.
 

 
“She also respects what has been established as Hancock tradition,” Pidgeon added. “She is open-minded about what it means to be a Hawk, and she creates purposeful change that has continued to encourage what makes us who we are and shows a future of who we can be.”
 
Thank you, Principal Butler, for all that you are doing for the students and teachers of Hancock High!
 

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