By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Alabaster’s Kingwood Christian School has removed the interim tag from its headmaster, praising her for her dedication and service to the school over the past several years.

In an email sent to KCS families, faculty and staff members, Kingwood Lead Pastor Jay West said he recently met with Principal Ruth Gray to ask her to serve as the school’s permanent headmaster and lead administrator after she served in the position in an interim role for the past year.

“In many ways, this past year has been a season of transition at Kingwood Christian School. As you know, around this time last year, Principal Ruth Gray was asked to serve as our interim headmaster responsible for leading the administration and operations of KCS. Throughout the year, Mrs. Gray has worked in a strategic and deliberate manner to support and strengthen the quality of the education our children receive while also forming deeper relationships with the families we serve and the faculty and staff who teach and guide our students every day,” West wrote in the email. “Mrs. Gray has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to Kingwood Christian School and its mission. She has brought new ideas to the table that have benefited students and families across our organization. And she has maintained a clear focus on the Christian principles that help KCS have a meaningful impact on our families – and our surrounding communities.”

West said Gray has earned the permanent position “through her passion for quality education and her extensive experience in training and equipping students to succeed.”

Gray came to Kingwood in 2011 after a 25-year career in public education, and immediately formed a bond with the KCS faculty and staff, West said.

“She knows our families closely. She knows how to connect with students in a way that helps them grow as individuals. And she has the experience needed to help Kingwood reach more students over time,” West wrote. “In fact, over the last couple weeks, she has been meeting every day with families who are interested in sending their children to Kingwood so they, too, can thrive in an environment where students achieve academic excellence and spiritual growth. Ruth is one of the reasons KCS has been consistently voted ‘Best of the Best’ in the Shelby County Reporter.”