Riverwood Principal Transferred To Roswell High School

SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- After spending four years serving one of two public high schools in Sandy Springs, Riverwood International Charter School Principal Dr. Robert Shaw will move on to an institution north of the Chattahoochee River.

Dr. Shaw been appointed to serve as principal of Roswell High School. Dr. Shaw informed the Riverwood community this week of the new assignment approved by the Fulton County School Board. His service in Roswell will begin on July 1.

In a letter posted on the school's website, Dr. Shaw said while he's excited about the new opportunity, the decision to leave Riverwood was a difficult one to make. The school, he added, is filled with passionate and devoted staff members, backed by a supportive community and attended by the "very best group of students," he added.

"It has been the highlight of my career to have been able to lead such a unique, dynamic, and successful school," Dr. Shaw added. "While principals may sometime refer to a school as 'my school,' the truth is that no principal owns a school. The school belongs to all the faculty, staff, parents, and community members who work hard and give so much of themselves to provide the best opportunities for the students who attend. Based on this, the future of Riverwood is incredibly bright."

Dr. Shaw was appointed as Riverwood's principal in 2013, Fulton County Schools spokesperson Susan Hale told Patch. Before that, he was principal at Hillgrove High School in Powder Springs from 2009 to 2013. He also taught history and Advanced Placement Government at Avondale High School in DeKalb County and Campbell High School in Cobb County. He also was an assistant principal at Cobb's Pope High School before he became Hillgrove’s principal.

Over the next few weeks, the system's Central Learning Community Assistant Superintendent Dr. Nathalie Henderson and Area Executive Director Kirk Shrum will guide the process of finding Dr. Shaw's successor.

Riverwood community members are asked to take surveys to determine the leadership qualities they would like to see in the school's next administrator (for English, click here to take the survey; those who speak Spanish can take the survey here). A focus group for parents, students, staff and community members will be held on Tuesday, June 20 at the North Learning Community at 450 Northridge Parkway in Sandy Springs.

You will have three opportunities to participate in the focus group: 8:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. or 2:30 p.m.

Dr. Shaw closed his letter by thanking the Riverwood community for its kindness and support over the last four years.

"Riverwood International Charter School will always hold a special place in my heart and I truly wish the entire community nothing but the very best," he said.

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