By By Adrienne McKenzie
Escambia Academy headmaster Leon Hartley announced to the Academy's board members Wednesday he would be resigning from the school after only one year of service.
Chairman of the board of directors, Hooper Matthews III, said that decline of enrollment was a factor in Hartley's leaving. Matthews said while Hartley was the leader at the Academy things went well for the school, but the board is always eager for improvement.
"He was the headmaster for the 2006-2007 school year," he said. "We had a good year, however, we always look to improve and build upon our accomplishments, both academically and athletically."
The dual enrollment program that the Academy is involved in with Jefferson Davis Community College in which high school students are allowed to take college courses expanded under Hartley's reign, according to Matthews.
Also, the Academy's seniors showed great accomplishments with the number of scholarships they were awarded this year.
"The seniors were awarded over $550,000 in scholarships," Matthews said. "That is an average of more than $27,500 per student."
Out of the 20 graduating seniors, 19 of them will be going to college to further their education, Matthews said.
"Academically we had a solid year and athletically we did extremely well," he said. "Our August ACT scores were right at 24. The ACT scores are pretty consistent in the mid-20s. We had various other accomplishments this year. We will meet and exceed these accomplishments next year. We have a good staff in place, dedicated teachers, parents and students. We have a good school."
Matthews said Hartley did a good job while serving Escambia Academy, and the school wishes him well.
As of press time, Hartley declined comment about his resignation.
The window for application for the position of headmaster will began Friday. Interested applicants may apply by submitting a resume and cover letter to the school office. Interviews will be made by personal contact.