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By MACKENZEE SIMMS | Staff Writer

HELENA –  Shelby County Schools has announced two new principals to serve in the city of Helena. The current assistant principal at Chelsea High School, LaTasha McMillan, will serve as the next principal of Helena Middle School, while Tarrant City Schools’ Holly Laney will serve as the next principal of Helena Elementary School.

From her current role as assistant principal at Chelsea High School to her new role at Helena Middle School, McMillan will continue to add to her 19 years of experience in public education.

Meanwhile, Laney’s new position at Helena Elementary School marks her return to Shelby County Schools. Before her current position as the director of special education and student services for Tarrant City Schools, Laney worked for SCS for 17 years, including four years as the assistant principal at Calera Intermediate School.

The vacancies in these two positions arose when former HES Principal Genet Holcomb and former HMS Principal Matthew Epps both announced that they would be moving to different roles within Shelby County Schools.

Holcomb, will build upon her 31 years of education experience as she moves to her next role as Shelby County Schools’ elementary school coordinator.

“I take this next step with commitment to be my very best,” Holcomb said at the last Shelby County Schools Board of Education meeting. “I also look forward to working with the academic resources that have been provided by the elementary instruction department and the incredible teachers and principals.”

Meanwhile, Epps is transitioning to become the principal at the Career Technical Education Center.

“I’m very grateful and honored to serve the students of Shelby County,” Epps said at the most recent SCBOE meeting. “A big thanks to the teachers, faculty and staff at Helena Middle School. It would be remiss of me if I did not thank Henry Long and Christine Glover, two of the best (assistant principals) in the school district for how much they challenged me and helped me grow in the role of principal.”