Many familiar faces will walk out of Parkway Central with the Class of 2024. One of them is the seniors’ grade level administrator, Dr. Marvin Byrd.

“About a couple months ago, I’d say I finally made that decision that, I’m just gonna go out with the Class of 2024 and let someone else come in and take the position [to] start brand new with the class coming from up the hill,” he said.

The job of a high school administrator can be pretty time consuming — every week administrators stay at school till late night supervising events, sometimes another night during football season — which is why Byrd is taking a pause on his career in order to be more present for his kids.

“Well, this job, as satisfying as it is, it’s really time consuming,” Byrd said. “As my kids are getting older, they’re developing habits each and every day. Myself and their mother, we’ve noticed that we really need to invest more time in them to help them break and develop good habits, because we want to put them on a track for success.”

The Principal, Dr. Tim McCarthy, will miss Byrd’s enthusiasm, dedication, and humor. He was very impressed by Byrd’s emceeing at the pep rally.

“StuCo asked him to emcee the pep rally and I just left there thinking how wonderful that was that he embraced that,” McCarthy said. “I think he shared a side of himself that, just in the day-to-day of his role, we didn’t always see. So, I really liked that.”

Senior Kate Benoist is grateful to have Byrd as her grade level principal in her high school years.

“I definitely think I couldn’t have gotten a better principal in these past four years,” she said. “So, I think that’s pretty sad for the next grades, but I’m also happy that he’s doing what is best for him.”

Byrd feels happy and proud of his time spent at Central.

“It warms my heart to get that kind of reception that people say, you know, ‘We’re gonna miss you’ [and] ‘Sad to see you go’ because that means that I was true to my mission of being a servant leader and serving the teachers and staff here to help them as they help students,” Byrd said.

While there is discomfort in embracing the unknown, Byrd is looking forward to this new chapter in his life. In particular, he is excited to spend more time with his kids.

“I learned during the pandemic that man, I’m pretty good at making pancakes. I was able to time it out, flip it at the right time . . . so, I look forward to making breakfast for my kids,” Byrd said. “Because, there’s just nothing like waking up to the smell of a fresh breakfast, awaiting you.”