To the community and families of Sylvan Hills Middle School,

My name is Mr. Larry A. Guilford, and I am incredibly proud and honored to be the new principal.  Sylvan is an outstanding school that has benefited from strong leadership and dedicated educators. I look forward to partnering with each of you for continued success.

I have been an educator for over twenty years and my love for developing learners of all ages is endless. I began as a Program Coordinator at Crawford Long Middle School then transitioned to the central office, where I spent six years as a District Coordinator over High School Graduation Coaches in Atlanta Public Schools and a District Coordinator over fifteen Title I schools in DeKalb County. During this time, I realized how much I missed working directly with students and was eager to transition back into a school. For the next three years, I worked as a Behavior Specialist at Ralph J. Bunche Middle School and North Atlanta High School focusing on closing the gap with identified subgroups. For the past 8 years, I have served three years as an Assistant Principal at Eddie J. White K-8 Academy, the largest K-8 school in Georgia, as well as the last five years at B.E.S.T. Academy 6-12.

On a personal note, my wife of fifteen years and I have three wonderful children. Andrea a ninth grader loves playing softball and basketball and is ranked as one of the Top 2026’s in Georgia for girls’ basketball. Adrian, an eighth grader who loves playing baseball and basketball and is one of the Top 2027’s in Georgia for boys basketball and D’Andre our oldest child, a graduate of Georgia Southern University.

As principal of Sylvan Hills, I am proud to be able to collaborate with the staff and community to ensure that our students are supported in a rigorous learning environment that promotes respect and compassion while always prioritizing a sense of belonging. I look forward to meeting each of you and working to achieve this goal and more for our amazing students in Golden Bear country!