Wayne McIntosh is headed back to South Carolina, where he spent his first 30 years in education.
McIntosh has resigned as Madison County High School principal after serving five years in that position. He will take over as principal at Laurens District 55 High School in Laurens, S.C.
“They called me and asked if I’d be interested,” he said. “I went up and talked to them and I just look at it as a great opportunity.”
McIntosh is acquainted with several in the Laurens School District, having worked in the Palmetto state for three decades.
He said the assistant superintendent of Laurens District 55, whom he’s known for 30 years, contacted him about the vacancy.
McIntosh emphasized that his departure has nothing to do with Madison County High School, which he called “a great place.”
“I don’t want anybody to get the idea that there’s something wrong with my relationship with anybody at Madison County,” he said. “That’s not the case. It’s just a way to get a little bit closer to my family.”
Living in upstate South Carolina will put McIntosh closer to his daughters who live in Charlotte, N.C., and Rock Hill, S.C., and his mother-in-law, who lives in Kannapolis, N.C. He and his wife, Judy, are making frequent trips there.
“That puts us about an hour and 45 minutes closer … It just seemed to work out. It seemed like a great opportunity,” McIntosh explained.
At Laurens, McIntosh will succeed the late John Hendricks, who died of a heart attack February.
“I knew him and had talked to him, but I didn’t know him well,” McIntosh said.
Laurens District 55 High School’s enrollment is around 1,800 (Laurens County actually has two school districts, nos. 55 and 56).
McIntosh is scheduled to meet with the Laurens District High School faculty next week, according to an article published in golaurens.com.
Like usual, a committee of community and school leaders will assist in the hiring of Madison County High School’s next principal. That panel will make recommendations for candidate interviews as well as help with the interview process.
Nineteen people have already applied for the post. The application deadline is Friday.
“There seems to be some pretty good applications,” Madison County Schools Superintendent Dr. Mitch McGhee said.
According to McGhee, the tentative schedule is to select interview candidates by June 2, conduct interviews June 5-6 and hopefully make a recommendation to the board of education at its next meeting June 10.
McIntosh, who played college football at Furman in the late 60s and early 70s and was later a high school head football coach for 12 years in South Carolina, moved back to Georgia in 2002 to take the principal’s position at Banks County High School. The Columbus native worked there for one year before coming to Madison County in 2003, taking over for former principal Robert Adams.
In working for five years in Danielsville, McIntosh brought some continuity to the principal’s position. At the time of his hiring, he was Madison County’s third principal in four years.
“Mr. McIntosh has done a great job for us,” McGhee said. “We’re certainly sorry to see him go.”
McGhee added, “It was an opportunity that he couldn’t turn down.”
McIntosh said he’s made some lifelong friends in Madison County.
“I think we’ve done great things here at Madison County,” he said. “It’s all because of the teachers and the staff here and everybody … This is a good place. This is a great place.”
