Principal: Jennifer Mattingly

Email: mattinglyj@lisd.net

(469) 713-5959

Back to school means new friends, Friday Night Football, Fall festivals, the high school band playing, fresh haircuts, and seeing everyone with sunburned noses and so much taller! This is always my favorite time of the year. The 2022-23 school year brings special anticipation. The excitement of students working together, sitting next to each other, playing and socializing stirs a giddiness that is hard to describe. After 31 years in education, this is the year that will be ICONIC. 

This is the year where we will center around being distinctively excellent, highly original, and uniquely powerful. This is a year where we will empower learners to find their strengths and define who they are by their actions and words. This year we will build legendary experiences with epic opportunities. It will be truly  ICONIC.

If you are new to McAuliffe, WELCOME! I hope you have found your forever home. We look forward to getting to know you and helping you find your niche within the McAuliffe Family. For many, even though you have been at McAuliffe a couple of years, you’re still searching for your place. This is the year to find it. We welcome our parents and community with open arms this year. If you have not completed your background check in Voly, please do so here! Even if you don’t want to volunteer, do it anyway! Have your family members do it too. You might want to join us for Field Day or a field trip; just do it! We have all kinds of opportunities, from big to small. If you want to connect, email me. Let me know what you enjoy; I will find a place for you! Finally, for the old-timers, I am so thankful for a community that builds capacity. Did you know that we have teachers here who went to school here? Many families started here and returned to raise their children here. That is a testament to this community. Thank you for your involvement. Thank you for your investment. Thank you for your time. 

As we find our normal, we want to bring back the best “things” that make McAuliffe. We need YOU to be a part, big or small. Our Village is what makes us strong.

This village has certainly been special to my family over the years. Big things have happened in our family over the past two years. Molly is working for a non-profit leading mission trips around the world. Her love for people and their hearts continues to be nurtured throughout this wonderful community. It seems like yesterday she was at McAuliffe in her big bows and knee socks. Our younger daughter, Riley, got married in January. She and John live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where she is a 5th year senior. She is the captain of the Alabama soccer team and working on a second Master’s Degree in Marketing. Riley’s days are best remembered at recess on the soccer field! I am proud that she continues to do something she found a love for as an elementary student. I am immensely proud that both of my girls have found a passion and followed it. That is what I hope for every McAuliffe Highlander. 

My husband, Chris, retired from Briarhill after 13 years, 2 years ago. Chris is working part-time and enjoying traveling - along with his many hobbies: fishing, hunting, golfing, collecting cast iron, and taking care of our small herd of cows. I also keep him busy around big events here at McA! I miss him at Briarhill, but I know it was the right time for him, and Briarhill is in excellent hands. 

Starting year 32 brings the same excitement that years 2, 10 and 26 brought. I am absolutely blessed that I get to come to McAuliffe every day. As long as I find the same joy, I plan on sticking around! I love this community, and I am always looking for opportunities to grow and better serve it. My door is always open, and I am easily accessible through email and social media. If you need me, have a suggestion, or just want to chat, reach out! This job is special because of the people. YOU are one of those people! My email is mattinglyj@lisd.net. 

I can’t wait to make this year legendary, epic, ICONIC! Let’s do this!

Jennifer Mattingly, Principal

#IconicMcA #McABuildsLegends

My family... Riley at Alabama... Molly in Bolivia... University of Alabama Class of 2021... Oauchita Baptist University Class of 2020... My Family when the girls were at McAuliffe... My Family Now! 

   .    

Assistant Principal: Kaydon Kirby

Email: kirbyk@lisd.net

(469) 713-5959

Hi everyone! I am so beyond excited to be a part of the Highlander family. This will be my seventh year in education, and my first year in an administrative role. I am a former high school football coach and history teacher. Even though my career has been with the secondary age, the elementary age is where my passion lies because I believe the foundation for students’ educational journey, as well as their journey as citizens of this world, begins here. My mother was an elementary school teacher in LISD for years, which is where my passion for elementary began. I love to be a part of spirit days and have no shame in wearing costumes! With that being said, have your cameras ready! My family and I moved back to the LISD area specifically for our kids to attend McAuliffe because of the impact that this district has had on our lives, as well as the reputation of this wonderful school. My wife, Lauren, went to HVE, Briarhill, and Marcus. She even taught AP History at Marcus for three years but will now be taking a different role as a PreK teacher at DKH. I, on the other hand, went to elementary, middle, and high school at the schools across town that will not be named because naturally, now my blood bleeds red instead of navy. My two kids, Hazel (3) and Riggs (almost 2), are such a joy in my life, and you will be seeing them around quite a bit. Again, I cannot imagine being a part of any other family but the Highlander family. I am ready to tackle the 2022-2023 school year! Go Highlanders! “We Are Marcus! We Are One!”