09/04/2026
🌟 PRINCIPAL SPOTLIGHT: MRS. JENNY RYALS 🌟
Some educators lead a school. Others have the unique opportunity to come home to one. ❤️💙
Meet Mrs. Jenny Ryals, Principal of John S. Jones Elementary School, who is in her third year serving the JSJ community, but her connection to the school goes back much further!
Mrs. Ryals proudly considers her education career to have begun in 1974–1975… as a kindergartner at John S. Jones! 🎓 What a full-circle journey it has been!
After earning her Ed.S. in Instructional Leadership from the University of Alabama, Mrs. Ryals spent 10 years teaching ELA at Rainbow Middle School before beginning her administrative career in 2016 as Assistant Principal at Hokes Bluff Elementary. She later served as Principal of Ivalee Elementary from 2022–2024. When the opportunity arose to return to John S. Jones Elementary, she was thrilled to come home to the school that played such an important role in her childhood.
A proud 1988 graduate of Southside High School, Mrs. Ryals is married to Toby Ryals, a 1986 Southside graduate and former wrestling and football coach for the Panthers. 🐾
For Mrs. Ryals, one of the greatest rewards of education is watching students grow academically, develop personally, and discover the joy of learning. Her leadership is grounded in the belief that understanding others is an essential part of helping students succeed.
It’s no surprise that her favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird by Alabama’s own Pulitzer Prize-winning author Harper Lee. Her favorite quote from Atticus Finch beautifully reflects the perspective she values as an educator:
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
Mrs. Ryals is humbled and honored to lead John S. Jones Elementary and continue the proud tradition of excellence at the school that once helped shape her own journey.
📚 Academic excellence. A strong legacy. A commitment to students.
