New Principals Appointed At Canton, Teasley, Creekland

CANTON, GA -- Several new and familiar faces will take the helm at 10 schools in Cherokee County when the upcoming academic year rolls around.

The School Board at its March 16 meeting approved a slew of new appointments to various leadership posts throughout the school district for the 2017-18 school year.

These appointments presented by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Hightower for consideration began with the recognition of a retiring leader: Assistant Superintendent for Educational Programs Susan McCarthy.

Dr. Hightower praised McCarthy for her lifetime of service, rising from a classroom teacher and Teacher of the Year to an assistant principal, principal, district leader and member of his senior staff.

“We’re very proud of you and wish you the best,” Dr. Hightower said, joining the audience in giving McCarthy a standing ovation.

Dr. Nicole Holmes, who currently serves as director of School Operations overseeing the district's elementary schools, was approved as her successor, with the title Chief Academic Officer, which reflects a new “chief” title structure for senior staff beginning next school year.

The role in which Dr. Holmes currently serves will be filled by Beth P. Long, current principal of Canton Elementary School STEM Academy, whose appointment also was approved Thursday; its new title will be Executive Director of School Operations.

Other new or reassigned principals appointed Thursday to fill positions vacated by retirements or reassignments include:

• Robert Horn, currently an assistant principal for Cobb County’s school system, as principal of Etowah High School;
• Dawn Weinbaum, currently principal of E.T. Booth Middle School, as principal of Dean Rusk Middle School;
• Dr. Sue Zinkil, currently principal of Teasley Middle School, as principal of Creekland Middle School;
• Christian Kirby, currently principal of Little River Elementary School, as principal of Ball Ground Elementary School STEM Academy;
• Michael Manzella, currently assistant principal for Woodstock High School, as principal of E.T. Booth Middle School;
• Dr. Benjamin Lester, currently assistant principal for Cherokee High School, as principal of Teasley Middle School;
• Karen Carl, currently principal of Free Home Elementary School, as principal of Little River Elementary School;
• Kim Hagood, currently assistant principal for Carmel Elementary School, as principal of Free Home Elementary School;
• Melinda Roulier, currently assistant principal for Clark Creek Elementary School STEM Academy, as principal of Mountain Road Elementary School; and,
• Dr. Abby May, currently an assistant principal for Cobb County’s school system, as principal of Canton Elementary School STEM Academy.

Other new or reassigned district administrators appointed Thursday to fill positions vacated by retirements or created to meet growth needs include:

• Dr. Christina Clayton, current facilitator for the Office of Instructional Technology, as supervisor of Digital Content;
• Amy Chaffin, currently a director for Worth County’s school system, as supervisor of Middle and High School Curriculum;
• Linda Wallace, currently a director for Pickens County’s school system, as supervisor of Federal Programs;
• Melissa Sneed, currently a program specialist for Cobb County’s school system, as supervisor of Special Education;
• Karla Tipton, currently a systems analyst, as supervisor of Technology Support Services;
• Chris Saxon, currently a facilitator for enterprise field services, as supervisor of Technology Field Services;
• Dr. Rouel Belleza, currently an administrator with Educational Programs, as supervisor of Student Services; and,
• Danielle Ross, currently a coordinator with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, as Emergency Operations facilitator.

During their strategic work session, board members also heard a presentation by the independent external auditor, who reported 2015-16 fiscal year audit received a clean opinion with no new findings or unresolved prior findings.

“Great job on a clean audit report,” School Board Member Clark Menard said, specifically thanking Ken Owen, assistant superintendent for Financial Management, and his staff. “‘None listed’ on the list of follow-ups – that’s a good thing. Job well done.”

The work session also included a presentation on the Canvas learning management system currently being piloted by select teachers with a planned districtwide launch for next school year.

“We’re completely changing the way we’re delivering instruction,” said Dr. Christina Clayton, who is leading the initiative, noting the online system allows students, teachers and parents to access instructional materials, homework assignments, student performance data and other information all in one space.

The new system will lead to cost avoidance, both through the discontinued use of multiple programs with services duplicated in the one Canvas system, and also through the decreased use of paper and paper materials, printer ink and energy and flash drives and other supplies.

School Board Member Kelly Poole, whose son’s class is a part of the pilot, spoke very highly about the increased resources and information available to students and parents and the system’s ease of use.

“From a parent perspective, I love that,” she said, noting students no longer can use forgetting their book at school as an excuse to not complete homework and continue learning. “I support anything we can do to make our kids more successful, and this program helps with that.”

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