Missy Holston, a lifelong resident of Pearl River County and public educator for 24 years said she was thrilled when she was named Assistant Superintendent of the Pearl River County School District.

Not only has she lived in the area since birth but also has dedicated her time and passion for education solely to PRC.

A 1988 graduate of PRC, Holston attended first grade through twelfth grade in the school system. When she moved onto college she went to PRCC for two years and then USM where she received her bachelor’s in elementary education and later on, her master’s in education.

Even when she was in college,

she stayed close to Pearl River Central—she said she student taught second and sixth grade at PRC.

She said she was then hired as a 4th grade teacher at PRC Upper Elementary School, then interned as an assistant principal there while finishing up her master’s.

Holston later became the special education director for the district, then principal at the PRC Upper Elementary School and then principal at PRC Middle School.

Due to her hard work and dedication to the community, she was made assistant superintendent July 1.

“I knew I wanted to be in education. As a child growing up, we played school at home for fun and I knew that was what I wanted to do. I always had a love of children at a young age and wanted to help kids,” Holston said. “I helped teach my younger sister to read when I was around 12.”

Although Holston could have gone elsewhere after her education was completed, she said she felt an ardent desire to return to the place that shaped her.

“This is my home and I wanted to come back to my community. A lot of my teachers influenced me and I wanted to give back,” she said.

When she is not at the office doing what she loves, she said she spends time with her family and likes to fish. Her sisters are also teachers—one on the coast and one who is doing her student teaching at PRC Upper Elementary School. She lives in Carriere, Mississippi with her husband Brent and their three children, Hunter, Conner and Addyson.