Long-time principal Karlton Johnson has moved on to another school. After a summer long search, spearheaded by Vice Mayor Perkins and Vice Principal Malcolm Spence, Principal Tavarus Williams was hired.
He is 33 years old and graduated from Blanche Ely in 2007. He is the first Blanche Ely alumni to become a principal. He comes from a long line of Mighty Tigers. His grandmother graduated in 1966, and at that time Blanche General Ely (the school’s namesake) was the principal.
Blanche Ely has gone through tumultuous times and was noted for poor academic performance in the recent years. Williams aims to combat that through his programs and hiring of more teachers. Williams also graduated from Florida A&M University, and aims to make Blanche Ely the “Baby FAMU of the South.”