CULLMAN, Ala. — After six years as principal at Cullman High School, and an entire career spent as a Bearcat, Principal Kim Hall has announced she will be retiring at the end of the 2021-2022 school year this spring.
Hall is a lifelong resident of Cullman, and graduate of Cullman High herself. She’s worked at almost every level of education in Cullman City Schools, before taking the reins as principal of Cullman High School in 2016. Her retirement will be on the April 19 Cullman City Schools board agenda and will become effective August 1, 2022.
“In 1976 I entered the first half-day kindergarten program at East Elementary School. I then followed my educational path to Cullman Middle School and then on to Cullman High School,” Hall said. “While I earned my college degree I served as a substitute teacher here and then was hired as an instructional assistant. For almost 30 years, I have lived my lite and ministry as a teacher and administrator in Cullman City Schools. My motivation in my calling is this: I belong, body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. I have always viewed my career as a calling.”
Hall said the decision to retire is one of the hardest decisions she’s ever made, though she feels her life is being led in a new direction.
“To think that God is redirecting my path is terrifying — yet it requires immeasurable faith and trust in Him. He is leading me to place my trust in Him and not myself. I have prayed for months as I have felt his nudging,” she said. “He has answered and confirmed — over, and over and over again — that there is a new path, a new direction, and new journey that I must take. I love my job, I love this faculty, I love this school and I love our students. I have spent my entire life in this school system, and now it is time for the next chapter.”
The lead time until Hall’s retirement becomes effective should give Cullman City Schools officials time to conduct a thorough search for her replacement, and Hall noted she intends to assist with the transition to a new administration. School officials hope to name a replacement in May, if possible.
“I will work tirelessly to make this a smooth transition, trusting and knowing that I am placing you in God’s hands,” she said. “I will always love you. You are my Bearcat family.”
Cullman City Schools Superintendent Kyle Kallhoff commended Hall’s work for the district, noting he was thankful to have had the pleasure to work with her since his 2021 arrival in Cullman.
“Being a high school principal can be an incredibly difficult job, and Kim has excelled at it. She has helped lead Cullman High to one of the strongest positions it’s ever been in, and she provided that leadership,” Kallhoff said. “She engages with these kids, she knows these students, and she knows them on an individual student level. That’s a great characteristic for a principal. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Kim, it’s that she’s 100 percent Bearcat, and she bleeds black and gold.”
