Photo courtesy of Vestavia Hills City Schools
Dori Hardee was named the next principal at Liberty Park Middle School for the 2024-25 school year on Monday, April 29, 2024.
The Vestavia Hills Board of Education on Monday night approved Dori Hardee as the next principal for Liberty Park Middle School.
Hardee has been assistant principal at Liberty Park Middle since March 2022 and will replace Blair Inabinet, who is moving to become principal at Vestavia Hills High School.
Hardee previously served as the school’s physical education teacher and as coach of the school’s volleyball and girls basketball teams, going back to August 2021.
Prior to arriving in Vestavia Hills, Hardee worked for five years as a choir, music and physical education teacher as well as volleyball coach at Thompson Middle School in Alabaster.
She has a total of nearly 20 years of experience in education as an elementary and middle school teacher at schools in Alabama, North Dakota, New Mexico and Maryland. She holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from East Carolina University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from New Mexico State University.
“I’m super excited,” Hardee said after being approved by the school board Monday night. “The Liberty Park community — the staff, kids, parents — it’s amazing. It’s a blessing to be able to be in Liberty Park.”
She is eager to keep moving Liberty Park forward, she said.
A new assistant principal for Liberty Park Middle School will be named at a later date, Superintendent Todd Freeman said in a news release.
The school board also on Monday approved the school system’s calendar for the 2025-26 school year — more than a year in advance. Here are key dates on the calendar:
- July 4 — Independence Day holiday
- Aug. 1 — Teacher institute
- Aug. 4-6 — Teacher professional development/workdays
- Aug. 7 — First day of school for secondary students/Meet the Teacher Day for elementary students
- Aug. 8 — First day of school for elementary students
- Sept. 1 — Labor Day holiday
- Oct. 10 — Parent-teacher conferences (no students)
- Oct. 13 — Columbus Day holiday
- Oct. 14 — Professional development day (no students)
- Oct. 17 — Report card distribution
- Nov. 11 — Veterans Day holiday
- Nov. 24-28 — Thanksgiving holidays
- Dec. 19 — Students two-hour early dismissal; end of first semester
- Dec. 22-Jan. 1 — Winter holidays
- Jan. 2 — Professional development day (no students)
- Jan. 5 — Students return from winter break
- Jan. 9 — Report card distribution
- Jan. 19 — Martin Luther King Jr. holiday
- Feb. 16-17 — Professional development days (no students)
- March 13 — Report card distribution
- March 23-27 — Spring break
- April 17 — Inclement weather day
- May 21 — Last day for students (two-hour early dismissal)
- May 22 — Teacher workday/report card distribution
- May 25 — Memorial Day holiday
- June 19 — Juneteenth holiday
