Former Hillbilly baseball coach new assistant principal at AMS
By Kevin Taylor
Alma Schools
Like many of his classmates, Brett Stone grew up with all the essentials when it came to life — with baseball being one of his passions.
But it wasn’t just sports that stirred the drink.
Brett Stone knew one day he’d like to follow in his dad’s footsteps.
For 25 years, until his death in March of 2011, Scott Stone served the Ozark Public Schools, including his final calling as Superintendent.
“My dad was a superintendent and an administrator, so I sort of grew up around it my whole life,” Stone said. “I knew it was something I wanted to do.”
Stone earned his master's degree in 2016 and spent the first 12 years in education teaching and coaching in Ozark, will trade Hillbilly Purple for Alma’s Green and Gold as Alma Middle School’s new assistant principal, where he’ll answer to J.D. Coursey.
Coursey was named Alma’s new middle school principal last spring following longtime principal Bob Wolfe’s retirement.
“I did my student-teaching and internship in Alma in (fall of) 2010, so I met a lot of people here, so I got to experience the people and the culture,” Stone said. “I worked with Mr. Coursey, so I had some relationships. I thought if I was ever going to jump into this, which is a new world for me, this position would be really good to learn from someone very good at what they do.
“I could learn to do things the right way in the administration life.”
A 2005 Ozark High School graduate, Stone said he hopes to mimic his dad’s journey through administration.
“He was out the door early and he was always the first person at school, even after he became superintendent. He probably didn’t have to do that, but it was important to him to be the first one there and get work done before people showed up that day,” Stone said. “People mattered to him; he wasn’t always going to tell people what they wanted to hear, and he wasn’t the most popular person, but he always made the best decisions for kids.”
Coursey said having a built-in relationship with Stone was important. The two were part of Alma’s unbeaten 2010 ninth-grade football coaching staff.
“It’s great to have somebody that I worked with in the past,” Coursey said. “He student-taught in 2010 on our junior high football staff. It was a great year … that’s when we had Dylan Ross at quarterback, Malachi White at running back, and we had Keith Shultz and Alex Burris, too. He was not only on the staff, but he was also a contributor and a hard worker.
“You’ve got to be a good leader, and make kids accountable, and set high expectations, and that’s what the assistant principal job is.”
Coursey’s professionalism has already rubbed off on Stone, the former Hillbilly said.
“Just like my dad, everything matters to him,” Stone said. “The energy and personality that you bring to work every day, and really, you have to bring your best every day. That’s what he does; he brings his best every day.”