Shannon Dixon

Mrs. Dixon is entering her third year as an assistant principal at Lynn Camp Schools. She joined the Wildcat family in July 2018.

Prior to coming to Lynn Camp, she taught in the Laurel County School District. Her career began in 2008 at South Laurel teaching 9th and 12th grade English. In 2015, she moved to the new Laurel County Center for Innovation. There, she was an English teacher for students in the Allied Health career pathway. During her time in Laurel, she taught all grades of regular English, honors English, and AP English.

Memories are made with your school family. When asked about a memory made at Lynn Camp, Mrs. Dixon shared...

"I have had SO many memorable moments, but one of my favorites was our literacy day at Lynn Camp Elementary held last March. This was a school wide reading initiative where students presented a book of their choice. Some even dressed as characters ranging from Harry Potter to Junie B. Jones. Literacy is so important, and I was thrilled to see our students enjoying this project!"

Being an educator means always having a growth mindset and a passion for knowledge and self improvement. For Mrs. Dixon, she has set goals for herself even with the pandemic impacting how school operates at the moment.

"I have several professional goals! This is no different than any other year, but I want to be in classrooms as much as possible. I enjoy being around our students and watching their enthusiasm for learning. Furthermore, I find it necessary to be a lifelong learner. I am always looking for opportunities to learn and grow."

It's the lifelong learning and finding your passion that Mrs. Dixon wants to share with students that are interested in education.

"DO IT! Education is a rewarding career. It is not a job, it is a mission field! What greater way to shape our future and the world around us than by teaching students what they need to know to succeed? "

Mrs. Dixon had a couple of role models that she looked up to as she studied education in college and joined the profession.

"Personally, my father has always motivated and inspired me. He was not in education, but has always been my biggest supporter, mentor, and friend.

Professionally, Regina Bishop was my first principal at South Laurel High School. She was a strong, female leader, who always spent time developing relationships with her teachers. I always felt like she believed in me as an educator, and she always had students' best interests at the heart of any matter. She was the reason I began teaching AP courses so early in my career."

Moving from being in a high school English classroom to the assistant principal role does have its challenges, but also many rewards. Mrs. Dixon has advice to existing teachers that are looking to advance in their careers.

"My advice to anyone entering leadership is to shadow someone in the profession and to ask questions. It's important to see all areas in which a leader works. I would seek opportunities to be involved in my community, and to volunteer at school events. As a principal, you work many hours outside of the school day. Getting into that practice is essential."

What has she found as one of the most enjoyable parts of being an assistant principal? "I enjoy seeing ALL students as opposed to just my classroom. Additionally, I enjoy collaborating with teachers through the PLC process. Last, every day is different! "

Even assistant principals do close their office doors and turn out the lights (at some time) once the school day ends (usually much, much later.) Here are a couple of fun facts that students, and colleagues, may not know about Mrs. Dixon:

"I LOVE the book The Great Gatsby. I enjoy spending time with my husband and dog, Gracie Lou Freebush. She is named after the main character in the movie Miss Congeniality. "