Mr. Samuel West, Principal
samuel.west@clayton.k12.ga.us
Samuel Wayne West has over 25 years of experience as an educator working in a variety of public, charter and private school settings. Mr. West has served as a nursery and preschool director, administrator for a Kindergarten – 8th grade Academy, educational consultant, classroom teacher, elementary principal, middle school assistant principal, middle school principal, high school assistant principal,and high school principal. Mr. West was a 2010 – 2011 district finalist for teacher of the year, named principal of the year for the 2017-2018 school year and was named a district finalist for principal of the year for the 2018-2019 school year.
After working in the utility industry for seven years, his interests shifted toward full-time ministry where he worked in various capacities for twelve years. Mr. West earned his undergraduate degree from Fort Valley State College, his master’s degree in Educational Management from Strayer University, his Educational Specialist degree from Liberty University and his leadership certification from Georgia State University.
Mr. West views a collaborative school environment as the key to creating successful teachers and students. His daily affirmations over his staff and students undergird his belief that if you model what success looks like to students and get them to change their mindset of what is possible to achieve, they will soon realize “they can win with what they have”. He believes a three-fold cord, is not easily broken, and as home and school partner together for student success,
academic achievement is inevitable.