New Leadership Will Guide Heights High In Coming School Year

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — Heights High School will be led by a group of new faces during the 2021-2022 school year.

Taylor Smith and Brandon Towns are both new to the district. Smith and Towns will join interim administrative principal Alisa Lawson-McKinnie and assistant principals John Fullerman and James Dubsky in guiding the high school.

“This group is like the pieces of a puzzle coming together - they bring years of experience in top-notch organizational leadership, teaching, communication, technology, coaching, and more,” said Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby. “Most importantly, these individuals have a passion for providing a high-quality education to each and every student, helping them grow into young adults ready for college and career.”

Get to Know the New Team

Smith, the new 10th grade assistant principal, comes from the Brooklyn City Schools, where he was the technology coordinator from 2016 to 2021. He was also dean of students for the Brooklyn Schools during the 2019-2020 school year.

Before heading to the Brooklyn Schools, Smith was a social studies teacher at Lake Catholic High School and a wrestling coach.

“I am really looking forward to working with students to help them become the best version of themselves that they can be,” Smith said.

Towns will be the 11th grade assistant principal. He was recently an assistant principal in the Cleveland Schools. He previously served as a curriculum and instruction specialist for the metropolitan district from 2016 to 2018.

Towns was a 2012 Woodrow Wilson Ohio Teach Fellow and is pursuing his PhD in Urban Education from Cleveland State University.

“I am a people person. I love meeting new people and building relationships with the ones that I already know. I am ecstatic about the opportunity to add value to such a phenomenal community,” Towns said.

Lawson-McKinnie will be the interim administrative principal. She has been part of the Heights Schools for eight years, taking part in the Heights High Advancement Placement program, College Credit Plus and former Early College programs.

Prior to joining the district, she was a high school principal in the Columbus Schools and in the Cleveland Metropolitan Schools. She earned her doctorate from Cleveland State University.

“I am honored to be chosen to lead Heights High in the upcoming year,” Lawson-McKinnie said. “It’s a pivotal moment in time for our students, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to provide them with the support and guidance they need to succeed.”

James Dubsky will be the 9th grade assistant principal. He was previously Heights High's dean of students. He first came to the district in 2009 as a physical education teacher at Oxford Elementary before becoming dean of students for Heights Middle School in 2017.

Before coming to the district, Dubsky was a strength and conditioning coach for the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers and an NFL combine training group.

“I like that I get to work with an entire grade level and get to know all of the students," Dubsky said.

Finally, John Fullerman will be the 12th grade assistant principal.

Fullerman joined the Heights High administrative team in 2015. He was previously the principal of Summit Academy Secondary School in Canton, where he was also the head coach of the basketball team.

Before becoming an educator, Fullerman was a Cleveland Heights police officer from 2003 to 2009. He was named Administrator of the Year in 2021.

“My favorite thing about Heights High is the students. Greeting them as they enter the building, talking to them in the halls and eating lunch with them are some of my favorite parts of the day,” Fullerman said in a 2020 interview.