When Victor Hubbard packs up to move to Hattiesburg this summer, he isn’t just leaving Meridian, he’s leaving his heart with his students.

“The students of Meridian have been the reason I stayed so long,” said Hubbard, the long-serving principal of Meridian High School. “They believed in the philosophy in moving from good to great.”

Hubbard is leaving MHS after 11 years to become the top administrator of Hattiesburg High School.

He came to Meridian in 2006 to work at Carver Middle School before becoming principal of MHS in 2010.

“I’m happy about my new opportunity, but I’m sad about leaving the students at Meridian High,” Hubbard said.

During his time at MHS, Hubbard helped to open the Ninth Grade Academy and increase the school’s graduation rate, from about 62 percent in 2011 to 78 percent in 2019. He was also instrumental in starting ‘Believe in Blue,’ where community members are encouraged to build relationships with students.

His biggest accomplishment in Meridian was giving students hope, Hubbard said.

“I feel like God has placed me in this field for a purpose and I think that purpose is to open doors of opportunities for children,” he said.

“We’ve done some remarkable things that are unheard of at a predominantly African-American school,” Hubbard added. “Where it’s a high poverty area, 100 percent of students receiving free and reduced lunch, and high crime. We’re still able to graduate students and have a safe, orderly school.”

Because schools have been closed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hubbard won’t get to properly say goodbye to his students.

Instead, he’ll make a video thanking them for their support.

“The students have been my reason for what I have done,” he said. “They have been the wind beneath my wings to keep me going.”

‘A great person and a great principal’

Hubbard’s efforts to help his students haven’t gone unnoticed.

MHS 2013 graduate Larry Gill described Hubbard as a father figure, recalling the numerous times the principal gave him a ride to work after school.

“He changed the culture and gave us a successful mindset,” Gill said of Hubbard’s leadership. “Not just for me, but all the students.”

“It was a great honor to have him as principal,” said 2020 graduate Zachary Carter. “I know the other kids are going to miss out, because he was a good influence, gave us the stuff we needed, and made sure we graduated.”

“I’m very sad that he will be leaving because everybody should have the experience of having him as a principal,” said recent graduate Kacie Nabors. “He was a great person and a great principal.”

‘Once a Wildcat’

While leaving Meridian is hard, Hubbard said he’s ready to take on a new challenge in Hattiesburg.

And he said he will never forget his time in the Queen City.

“There’s an old saying that goes, ‘once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat’,” he said. “While I will be wearing purple and gold, I will still bleed blue and white.”