A Muscogee school district leader will be Calvary Christian’s new principal
He calls it “refiring, not retiring.”
Officially, Matt Bell is retiring after 31 years of working in the Muscogee County School District, including the past five years as one of MCSD’s three region chiefs.
But at 55 years old, Bell feels he has plenty more years to serve as an education leader in Columbus. So he accepted the offer from his friend Jonathan Norton, the head of school at Calvary Christian, to be the K3-12 institution’s high school principal.
Bell will succeed Steve Childers, who asked to return to his instructional technology role at the school if he doesn’t leave for a job elsewhere, Norton told the Ledger-Enquirer.
“He has a position at Calvary, but he’s exploring other opportunities as well,” Norton said.
Norton explained why he selected Bell among three candidates.
“He just brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our high school and a fresh perspective,” Norton said. “He’s relational-driven, which is critical for us, and so I’m excited to see the relationships he will build with our faculty, with our students and with their families.”
Columbus State University connection
Bell and Norton have been friends for three decades since meeting at Columbus State University. They have stayed in touch and relied on each other for advice as they advanced in their education careers.
Norton arrived at CSU as an undergrad in 1993 and served as a student assistant manager for the men’s basketball program, then worked 16 years for the CSU women’s basketball program — two as a student assistant, seven as an assistant coach and seven as a head coach — before becoming principal at Wynnbrook Christian School and the chief administrative officer at Wynnbrook Baptist Church in 2016. Eight years later, Calvary hired him as head of school.
Bell was a graduate assistant in the CSU men’s basketball program when he met Norton. Bell started his education career at Eddy Middle School (1994-96), where he taught career connections and theater and was head boys basketball coach.
He taught social studies and was head boys basketball coach and an assistant football coach at Hardaway High School (1996-99), then was promoted to assistant principal at Hardaway (1999-2005).
Bell was principal of Hardaway for 15 years (2005-2020) before becoming a region chief.
He earned two degrees from Columbus State University, a bachelor’s degree in public administration and a master’s degree in education administration. He also earned a specialist’s degree in education leadership from Troy State University.
‘Move my feet’
Bell told the Ledger-Enquirer he wasn’t looking to leave MCSD, yet Norton’s call compelled him to listen.
“God has always led my steps,” Bell said, “but this time, He was telling me to move my feet.”
Bell realized he missed the daily interaction with students, teachers and parents as a principal.
“I love the position I’m in because I can help principals grow as instructional leaders and guide them,” he said. “But I think in my heart, I’m a servant leader, and I have a need to serve others, and just that connection at that the grassroots level, I miss that.”
Joining a Christian school allows Bell to more openly infuse his faith into his work.
“I can serve God through this position and raise champions for Christ,” he said. “… That’s really appealing and has me fired up.”
Being an educator goes beyond a job for Bell.
“Anybody can make a dollar, but not everybody can make a difference,” he said. “So, for me, to pour into other people and help them develop and help people grow as students, as educators, as Christians, I’m just built to serve, and I can’t think of a better way to do it than this.”
Bell expressed gratitude for the education leaders who mentored him in MCSD.
“Any success I’ve had in the Muscogee County School District is truly because of other people,” he said. “I’ve been able to work with some of the greatest people, and I cherish those memories.”
Bell especially noted the influence of MCSD Superintendent David Lewis.
“He’s an exceptional example of what a servant leader is about,” Bell said. “It has been an honor to work alongside him.”
Lewis returned the praise.
“As I expected, Mr. Bell has been a tremendous addition to our district’s leadership team and an exemplary region chief,” Lewis told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email. “I hold him in high regard and will miss him both personally and professionally but wish him all the best in his new role.”
‘That’s God working this out’
Bell and Norton marveled at the friendship they formed more than 30 years ago coming to fruition now and bringing them together as leaders at the same school.
“It’s just really cool how small the world is,” Norton said. “… That’s God working this out.”
Norton considers Bell “a perfect fit” at Calvary.
“Everybody that has worked with Matt speaks very highly of him, and that’s very important,” Norton said. “He comes in with a lot of equity, just a history built up of being a successful leader.”
This story was originally published May 27, 2025 at 11:00 AM.
