Wilson Appointed As Mack Lyon Principal

By VERNON ROBISON

The Progress

A new principal has been appointed at Mack Lyon Middle School (MLMS) in Overton. Ken Paul, who has been principal at the school since 2013, retired in June this year. Taking his place is Jaydel Wilson, who has been serving the past 11 years years as Assistant Principal at Virgin Valley High School in Mesquite.
But this move will be something of a return for Wilson. He served as Assistant Principal at MLMS from 2008-2011 during the time when Rod Adams was the principal.

“I am so excited to be back here,” Wilson said in an interview with The Progress last week. “Mack Lyon is honestly an amazing school. It was great when I was here before and it is still a fantastic place.”
Wilson said that it has been interesting looking through the staff list at the school to see how many are still there.

“There are quite a few,” he said. “But even more fun is to see some of the kids, who were students here when I was working here before, that have gone through high school and college and returned back here to teach. There are a couple of those.”

Wilson stated that MLMS is ranked in the state’s top 10 public middle schools in test scores. Wilson admitted the challenge in coming into a school like that and improving on such a great record.
“The question I will be asking my teachers is: ‘How good can we be?’” Wilson said. “So that really is the question. I am here to do what is best for kids. My whole decision-making process is based on ‘How is this going to affect students? Is this what is best for them?’”

Wilson said that he is especially excited about the many activities recently made available to middle school students. These include school sports at the middle school level throughout the district.
“I think that is great for students,” he said. “And then seeing the different clubs and activities that they have still from when I was here before, and that have been added since then. I’d love to see every student involved in some type of club or activity or athletics that they like.”

Wilson is also very pleased with the branding change that has happened at the school over the past couple of years. Once the Mustangs, the MLMS has changed mascots to the Mariners. School colors have changed from red and black to blue and gold. This was done to put the school more in alignment with the Pirate mascot and colors at MVHS.

Wilson said it was a great idea to do this. “I love that things will be in alignment between the elementary school, middle school and high school,” he said. “I remember when I was here before, we would buy black and red tshirts for all the kids to wear. Then half of them would show up the next day in their Pirate shirts and jerseys. It is really no surprise, because that is what they want to be.”

Wilson said that Paul, and the MLMS Assistant Principal Aimee Lewis, has left things in great shape for him to hit the ground running.
“They left me with everything well organized and with plenty of reading information to get caught up,” Wilson said.

Wilson grew up in Mesquite and graduated from Virgin Valley High School.
He began his career as an educator teaching Spanish at Lincoln County High School. In 1997, he came back to Mesquite and began teaching at VVHS.

When Hughes Middle School opened in 2003, he came on as Dean of Students under principal Cliff Hughes.

In 2005 he moved to Elko, NV where he worked as an Assistant Principal for two years. Then he moved back south to Las Vegas where he served as an administrator at Johnston Middle School.

In 2008 he moved his family to Logandale and began his three-year stint at MLMS.
“We loved living here and being part of the community for those years,” Wilson said. “I just look forward to renewing relationships and meeting new people now in this new chapter.”

In an interview last week, VVHS principal Riley Frei said that his school would miss Wilson.
“I tell you, it is a huge loss for the Virgin Valley High School community,” Frei said. “Those will be big shoes to fill here. Jaydel did so much for our school. But I am happy for him and his family and very excited for the Mack Lyon students, parents and community. They are getting a great guy!”

The MLMS Back to School night will be held on Thursday, Aug. 4 from 11 am to 2 pm. Later that evening, there will be a Meet the Principal event with Wilson from 5-7 pm in the school library.