Kingfisher High School’s new principal says he’s coming home.

The Kingfisher Board of Education voted unanimously Monday night to hire John Harris as the new KHS principal.

He’ll succeed Jay Wood, who has taken the superintendent’s job at Dover effective July 1.

Harris will come to Kingfisher after eight years as the principal at Newcastle Middle School.

He’s a Midwest City High School graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University and a master’s from the University of Oklahoma.

But his roots – and he says his heart – have always been in Kingfisher.

“I bleed blue and gold,” he said.

Harris grew up here.

His father, Tom, owned Tom’s Sports Shop and John attended Kingfisher Public Schools through his sophomore year.

“My time in Kingfisher was priceless,” Harris said. “I’ve got a lot of lifelong friends there.”

The family moved to Plainview, Texas, in 1985 prior to Harris’ junior year.

They lived there a year before moving to Midwest City, where he finished school.

After picking up his degrees, Harris began his career in education in 1999. He taught U.S. and world history and served as a head tennis coach and assistant football coach for years at Midwest City High School.

He began a career in administration at Carl Albert Junior High, where he was assistant principal from 2003-06.

Harris spent the next eight years as the assistant principal at his alma mater, Midwest City.

“He has vast experience as a secondary administrator,” said Kingfisher Superintendent Dr. Daniel Craig about one of the assets that made Harris a viable candidate.

During his tenure at Newcastle, which began in 2014, the middle school’s enrollment swelled from 300 to nearly 600 students.

While there, Harris implemented professional learning communities (PLCs), which began being implemented at KHS this year, as well as curriculum alignment.

“John has been through the curriculum alignment processes we have started, so that will be a big help,” Craig said.

When the Kingfisher job was posted, Harris was interested for multiple reasons.

“I’m probably more suited for the high school level,” he said of his personality.

Craig said Harris’ personality will be a good fit.

“He has empathy for the staff, students and parents and his positive attitude is contagious,” Craig said.

More importantly? Harris said being a KHS principal was a dream job of sorts.

“This is personal for me,” he said. “I’m not taking this job to go in a ‘right direction.’ The prospect of getting back to Kingfisher is firing me up.”

Craig noticed that as well.

“He had a love for Kingfisher and KPS,” he said.

Harris said being principal at KHS is a job he’s always wanted because Kingfisher holds a special place in his heart.

“People ask me where I’m from, I don’t say Midwest City,” he said. “I say I’m from Kingfisher.”