New Principals Appointed At Cherokee County Schools

CANTON, GA — A slate of new principals have been appointed to lead schools across the Cherokee County School District. The Cherokee County School Board approved these new appointments at its Thursday, March 15 meeting.

Two high schools will see new principals this year, as River Ridge's Darrell Herring and Sequoyah's Elliott Berman are retiring. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Hightower announced Herring's retirement at Thursday's meeting, thanking him for his service to the school district for the last 11 years.

“Mr. Herring successfully opened a new high school for us with River Ridge, and that’s no easy feat,” Dr. Hightower said. “We know he’s made a positive difference in the lives of thousands of students.”

Dr. Kerry Martin, the current principal at neighboring Mill Creek Middle School, will replace Herring at River Ridge. Before signing on to Mill Creek, Dr. Martin served as principal at Arnold Mill Elementary School, and is a past Teacher of the Year with 28 years of experience.

Berman, whose retirement was announced earlier this year, will be succeeded at Sequoyah by Robert Van Alstyne, who has served the last nine years as assistant principal at Etowah High School. Van Alstyne, who has 19 years of experience, earned the 7A State Athletic Director of the Year honor and twice won the regional award in his current capacity at Etowah.

With Dr. Martin's move, the Mill Creek principal vacancy will be filled by Matthew May, who is an assistant principal at Sequoyah High. A past Teacher of the Year, May has 16 years of experience and has served the last two years in his role at Sequoyah.

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Another notable retirement was also unveiled Thursday by Dr. Hightower. Cathy Elliott, past principal at Macedonia Elementary School who currently serves as the school district's staffing director, has announced her plans to retire from that position in the system's Human Resources Division.

“Ms. Elliott has shared her exceptional talents with us for the last leg of her 36-year career in public education, and we are so appreciative of all that she has done to support our students, staff and schools,” Dr. Hightower said.

Elliott will be succeeded by Johnston Elementary School Amy Graham, who has worked for 19 years in education including as a classroom teacher and an assistant principal at Creekland and Teasley middle schools. The Johnston Elementary School principal position will be filled by Laura Akers, an assistant principal at Little River Elementary School and past Teacher of the Year at Liberty Elementary School with 19 years of experience.

Victoria Thom, a 32-year educator, will move up from assistant principal of CCSD’s Preschool Centers to the principal post with the retirement announced earlier this year of principal Donna Adams. Thom’s long career has included teaching in CCSD classrooms and serving as an assistant principal at schools including Liberty and Mountain Road elementary schools.

Woodstock Elementary School Principal Kim Montalbano will be moving to Indian Knoll Elementary School following the retirement of Principal Dr. Ann Gazell announced earlier this year. Montalbano’s principal post at Woodstock will be filled by Matthew Freedman, principal of Park Street Elementary School in Marietta. Dr. Hightower said Freedman’s impressive results at the 100 percent Title I school included significantly increasing student performance, improving student behavior, adding STEM education and engaging community partners, making him a “great catch” for Cherokee County and Woodstock Elementary School.

The Cherokee County School Board next month will appoint assistant principals to vacancies created by some of these moves, as well as any other leadership roles still to be filled for next school year.

Main Photo: Dr. Kerry Martin, left, and Robert Van Alstyne. Credit: CCSD