Danvers Schools Welcomes 2 New Student Services Assistant Directors

DANVERS, MA — Danvers Public Schools will have two new faces to bolster its student services department with the appointment of Derrick Munyon as an assistant director at the elementary level and Marla De La Cruz an assistant in grades 6 through 12.

Munyon was the pre-school special education director at Lynnfield Public Schools after previously serving as a program director in K-8. He came to Massachusetts from New Jersey to study psychology at Northeastern University. He earned a master's degree from Simmons College in 2009.

"I really enjoy the family engagement," Munyon said. "The last few years I have been the first person a family interacts with when their child turns 3 and enters the school system. I like being visible and engaging with students and getting to know them."

Munyon, who will be based at Smith Elementary School, lives in Beverly.

De La Cruz, who has been an educator for more than 20 years, is a native of Puerto Rico who earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from Lesley University.

She has worked as a teacher, principal and administrator in several districts and comes to Danvers from Methuen Public Schools, where she spent the past school year as special education coordinator at Methuen High. Prior to that, she worked for seven years in the Groton-Dunstable school district.

Munyon and De La Cruz will work under Danvers new Director of Student Services Christina Ryan.

"We are pleased to have Derrick and Marla join our team," said Superintendent of Schools Dan Bauer. "Along with Christina, they make up a great team and our students and families will benefit from the expertise and experience."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)