Let’s face it, this school year has been quite an adjustment for everybody. With all the new additions this year, from having people at the Bruin Academy to navigating through all the new construction at the main campus, it may be hard for some to keep up with all the news going around our school. That being said, many may not know or even notice the new faces that have joined our Bruin family. Therefore, as we enter into the second trimester, it’s about time to highlight all the new teachers and staff for the 24-25 school year. This post will be updated daily for the next week or so. Be sure to keep checking in for the updates!

Corey Yates 

Corey Yates is the new assistant principal and is regularly on the main campus. He graduated from Elizabethtown High School in 2000, and went on to Western Kentucky University to obtain his undergraduate degree in history and secondary education. He later received his masters in educational administration. Before arriving at Central, Yates taught and coached for 19 years at Elizabethtown High school.

After having such a personal connection with Elizabethtown for so long, many may wonder why Yates made the decision to switch to Hardin County schools.

“I thought it would be a good opportunity to grow in a good and well operated school,” Yates said.

Yates explained that he has been enjoying his time here so far immensely. He believes there’s a great community here at Central, and speaks highly of his administration team that has played a vital role in his learning and adjusting to this new role of his.

As far as what Yates’ typical day looks like, you can find him patrolling bus duty in the morning and sending off freshmen to the Bruin Academy. He also handles discipline issues and is getting used to handling unexpected situations.

“My favorite part of the day without question is interacting with all the students,” Yates said.

While Yates has missed the aspect of teaching and being with kids often, he still really is fond of his new role as it is not only a change of pace for him, but also a delight for him to learn and grow into becoming the best effective administrator he desires to be.

One fun fact about Yates is that both his daughter and son started for the Elizabethtown soccer teams. Yates added that at times it can be a predicament when figuring out who to root for while watching Central and Elizabethtown face each other.

David Centers 

David Centers is the new band director here at Central Hardin. Before coming here, he worked in Indiana for three years. He has also taught at East Hardin for some time as well. 

Some may not know that Centers has worked here at Central previously. This will now be his 18th year instructing here. 

“I came back to Central to be closer to family and work with my son, Noah Centers, who is the piano and music teacher here,” Centers said. 

Not only that, but Centers also said that he believes that the Central band is fantastic and he wanted to give them a positive and productive experience. 

As far as the Centers’ experience here so far, he admits it has been challenging. 

“Much of that is obviously due to construction and many teachers have had to deal with this,” Centers explained. “Not having a band room facility makes it challenging to organize and teach, but I am looking forward to moving into our expanded and updated band room next year,”. 

One fun fact about Centers is that he loves to travel and perform. He has performed in 10 different countries, and every other year he takes a group of 300 student musicians to Europe where they tour their and its surrounding countries.