Principal's Message

Mr. Octavius Harris

Octavius Harris is a passionate educator with 16 years of experience as a teacher, instructional coach, assistant principal, and principal. As the new principal of Langston Hughes High School, he is excited about the opportunity to continue establishing a legacy of excellence.

As an assistant principal at Daniel McLaughlin Therrell High School from 2014-2018, Harris was successful in supporting educators through their professional journeys while maintaining a high standard of education for children. During his tenure, his intentional focus on building the capacity of teachers to support student achievement led to 7.5 points increase in the school’s CCRPI. This focus also resulted in gains in six of nine End of Course exams and played a significant role in increasing the school’s graduation rate by 13%.

Following successes at Daniel McLaughlin Therrell High School, Harris was honored to return home as principal at Ralph J. Bunche Middle School, which is where he began his teaching career in 2007. As the principal, Harris was able to reduce the suspension rate by implementing and reinforcing clear behavior guidelines, as well as increasing the focus on programs such as PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) and SEL (Social Emotional Learning). Mr. Harris’ philosophy of Personal Responsibility in Delivering Excellence (P.R.I.D.E.) is not a new one. This philosophy of accountability, in conjunction with building teacher capacity through Professional Learning Communities, led to a 100% closing the gap score. Additionally, increases in all tested subjects on the Georgia Milestones led Bunche to a CCRPI increase from 65.1 to 73.1 within one year. During his three-year tenure as Principal, Bunche became AVID certified, IB Certified, and was named a Beating the ODDS School 3 years in a row.

Before pursuing his passion for leadership, Mr. Harris taught Algebra at Ralph Bunche Middle School and was an instructional coach at Long Middle School. He graduated from Georgia State University with a Masters in Math and Science, and a Specialist Degree from the University of West Georgia with a degree in Educational Leadership.

Before becoming a resident in the South Fulton Community, Mr. Harris was raised in Decatur, Georgia. His passion for mathematics and basketball became foundations for the person he is today.