Laurence Manning Academy has announced that Allen Kirby, current principal of Walker Gamble Elementary School in New Zion, will be taking the lead as Headmaster at LMA at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year. Kirby is a well-known figure in the Clarendon community and is currently on his 20th year working in education. He has a bachelor’s of science in elementary education from Francis MArion University, a master’s degree in education from Cambridge College, and a degree in education specialist in leadership from Coastal Carolina University. Kirby started his career teaching second and third grade at Walker Gamble Elementary for eight years before moving on to be the assistant principal of Johnsonville Middle School for three years. Then he returned to Walker Gamble Elementary where he has been principal for the past nine years.
During Kirby’s time at Walker Gamble, the school has earned the titles of Palmetto’s Finest School and National ESEA Distinguished School. The school has also been featured in a book and several studies that have been shared around the world because of its Collective Leadership Model. Through a partnership with the South Carolina Department of Education and Mira Education (formerly known as CTQ), the school developed the framework that is now used throughout South Carolina.
Kirby is married to Abbie Kirby and they have two children, Cal (8) and Caroline (5).
The LMA varsity football team welcomes new coach Jimmy Noonan. Noonan is from Sumter and he attended Sumter High School and played three sports there, including football under Coach Tom Lewis. Noonan was on the Sumter High School football team when they won the State AAAA Championship in 1987, and he played in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. He signed a football scholarship to play fullback at The Citadel and later graduated with a bachelor of science in mathematics in 1992. Noonan remained at The Citadel to be Graduate Assistant Coach under Charlie Taffe for two years. The 1992 team finished the regular season ranked #1 and won the Southern Conference Championship. In 1993, Noonan joined the staff at Spring Valley High School and became the offensive coordinator after one year. He also earned his master’s in educational leadership from USC. At age 29, he became the head coach. After 14 years at Spring Valley High School, he returned to Sumter where he spent one year as head football coach of Wilson Hall. He then spent 13 years as head coach of Wando High School in Mount Pleasant and three years as head football coach at Georgetown High School before moving onto Lucy Beckham High School in Mount Pleasant to be the substitute assistant principal and assistant football coach.
Noonan was an NFL Coach of the Year finalist for the Seattle Seahwaks (nominated by former player Michael Boulware), a Carolina Panthers Coach of the Year finalist, a $A Lower State Coach of the Year twice, a Palmetto Sports Outreach Coach of the Year twice, and Region Coach of the Year six times. Noonan is affiliated with the AFCA and has been the executive director of the SC Football COaches Association since 2021. He was inducted into the Sumter Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
Noonan and his wife Anne have four children. Mairin (27), Ashlin (25), Kellan (24), and Ryann (20).
