NATCHEZ — When Natchez High School Principal Tony Fields arrives at the office in the morning, the first thing he’s going to do is put down his things and get out on campus.

The principal, who was recently named the District Administrator of the Year, believes his role is most effective if he’s out in the midst of students and teachers.

“Really, I like to be out there all day long,” Fields said. “On the high school level, students already have their own ideas about the educational experience they’d like to have.

“I like to talk to them about that — I’m glad they feel comfortable approaching me.”

Out on campus between classes, senior Plevis Stewart, 18, is smiling when he stops to chat with the Fields. He said he really does see Fields out amongst students.

“He’s a really nice principal,” Stewart said. “He wants to make sure everything is all good around the school.”

The next thing Fields is going to do is head into the classrooms.

“I go into the classrooms daily,” he said. “We want to make sure that the teachers are teaching the curriculum and the students are engaged in learning.”

It’s important that he gives the teachers feedback, but perhaps even more vital is getting direct classroom feedback from the students.

“I ask the students about the objective of the lesson,” Fields said. “Based on their answers, you can really tell if they are engaged in the lesson or not.”

When Fields thinks about why he was named District Administrator of the Year, he believes it’s mostly due to what the Natchez High School team has accomplished in shifting the culture.

“The students here are buying into the new culture,” he said. “Now, not every day is going to be a good day, but in the big picture, Natchez High School is really a great place to be.”

Fields calls NHS the Capitol of Bulldog Nation.

“The students love it,” he said. “If I don’t say welcome to the Capitol of Bulldog Nation in the morning announcements, the students are going to let me know when they see me.”

Fields said you can see the slogan on their sweatshirts and T-shirts, and it’s even trickled down to the lower levels.

“Coming to high school is something that middle school and elementary school students should look forward to,” he said. “I hear them say, ‘One day I’m going to go to the capitol, Natchez High.’”

When he was first announced as the district’s administrator of the year, Fields said his thoughts went to all of the people who make it possible for him to do this job.

“I immediately thought about my administrative team and my family — because being the principal of a high school requires a lot of hours and a lot of family time is sacrificed,” he said. “I then looked around the room, and saw some of the people out there who had received the honor previously.

“I thought that I was in some esteemed company right now. I just had a wide range of emotions.”

Outside of working on changing the culture, Fields did have some academic goals. Rather than focusing on some of the Mississippi Department of Education testing, he thought improving the ACT would be better for the children.

“This test is very important for our students,” he said. “For many, it can be the difference in going to college and not going to college. It’s about the type of school you can get into and the types of scholarships you can get.

“It’s more important to our students than a letter grade because it can really benefit them directly. And hey, if the ACT scores increase, subsequently other scores will fall in place.”

Fields has been working in the Natchez-Adams School District for more than 16 years, starting as a teacher and working his way up to principal at the elementary and then middle school level. This is his first year as principal at Natchez High.

More than that, though, Fields said he loves being here because he is a product of the system, having graduated in 1994.

“I take pride in my job because this is a very special place to me,” he said. “In me, they can also see what you can achieve if you put your mind to it.

“It doesn’t matter what part of Natchez you are from, you really do get out of school and ultimately life what you put in it.”