He’s been called many things before – coach, principal,director.

Now, he’s called headmaster.

Mike Sumlin, a 41-year-old Sumrall native with 15 years experiencein Mississippi’s private academies, is in his third week as the topadministrator at Brookhaven Academy after taking over for interimheadmaster Herbert Davis on Jan. 4. Davis remains at the school ashigh school principal and head football coach.

Sumlin has thus far built his career on the fields of competition,coaching baseball and football and directing athletic departments.But at BA, he’ll be focused on competition in the classroom.

“I’m leaving all that behind. I think the teachers were looking forsomeone to work with them closely, someone who could focus strictlyon academics,” he said. “We want to give our students everyopportunity to succeed.”

Sumlin’s first task in guiding BA has been updating the facilities.New technology has come to Cougar classrooms in the form of fournew SMART Boards – interactive whiteboards for instructional use -for the high school, and 12 more are coming for the elementaryschool.

“From a technology standpoint, we’re keeping up and makingimprovements,” he said.

The headmaster also inherited a program to update the school’sphysical plant.

The buildings have been painted inside and out, new doors have beenplaced at the main entrances and new ceilings and lightings havebeen installed around the campus. A new office for the high schoolprincipal has been built.

The revamped campus is part of a long-term plan to grow the studentbody. There are currently 487 students enrolled at the school, anincrease over last year’s numbers, and there is room formore.

“We would like to see that number increase a little bit, but in theright areas – elementary school,” Sumlin said. “We’re close tocapacity in grades 7-12, but we could grow a little in theelementary school.”

Sumlin wants to engage the community in Brookhaven Academy’sfuture, and he plans to get involved around the city, working withthe chamber of commerce and local civic clubs.

“We’re going to try to get involved and promote our school. Themore representation from the school, the better off we are,” hesaid. “This place could be a gold mine. You’ve got Copiah Academybusting at the seams, you’ve got Parklane Academy busting at theseams and it’s not going to take much for us to bust at theseams.”

Sumlin arrived at BA to serve as high school principal in May 2010.He came to the school after one year at Canton Academy, where hewas the high school principal and coached football andbaseball.

Prior to his stay in Canton, Sumlin served five years at ManchesterAcademy as high school principal and athletic director; four yearsat Madison-Ridgeland Academy as head baseball coach; one year atIndianola Academy and four years at University Christian School,where he was coach and assistant coach for baseball andfootball.

He did his undergraduate work at William Carey University and wentto graduate school at Delta State University.

Sumlin is married to Renee Sumlin, a nurse at University ofMississippi Medical Center in Jackson, and they have two boys -Jacob, 8, and Cade, 3. Both children are enrolled at BA.

His favorite hobby is deer hunting, but his time in the woods hasbeen curtailed as he settles into his new duties as headmaster andcontinues to search for a house in Lincoln County while commutingdaily from near Flora.

“Hobbies? What hobbies?” he joked.

Sumlin may be reached at msumlin@cableone.net.