New faces in Spartanburg County: Meet the 8 new principals leading schools this year
Spartanburg County schools will have eight new head principals welcoming students back to class this upcoming school year.
The first day of school for Spartanburg's seven school districts is Monday, Aug. 15.
Names of the new principals for the school districts have been announced.
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Here is a rundown of the new head principals:
Spartanburg District One
New Prospect Elementary School
New Principal: Briana Wright is the former assistant principal at Inman Elementary School.
Where is she from?: Wright began her educational career in 2005 as a special education teacher and served as a reading coach at Holly Springs-Motlow Elementary School.
Education and background: Wright has a bachelor's degree in Special Education, a master's degree in Elementary Education, and an Education Specialist degree in Administration and Supervision all from Converse University.
Spartanburg District Two
Chesnee High School
New Principal: Erik Gerstenacker is the former principal of Gaffney High School.
Where is he from?: Gerstenacker is a former Marine Corps Veteran and was involved in the Chesnee Community Youth Athletic Association.
Education and background: Gerstenacker has a master's degree in Education from Converse University and a bachelor's degree from Limestone University.
Mayo Elementary School
New Principal: Brittany Green is the former assistant principal at Chesnee Elementary School.
Where is she from?: Green was the assistant principal at Chesnee Elementary School for the past seven years.
Education and background: Green has a master’s in Administration and Supervision from Southern Wesleyan University and a bachelor's degree in Education from Clemson University.
Spartanburg District Four
Woodruff High School
New Principal: Christine Morris is the former assistant principal at Woodruff High School.
Where is she from?: Morris began her educational career as a math teacher at Loris High School where she taught for six years. She joined the faculty of Woodruff High School as a math teacher in 2001. Morris taught for six years before being named assistant principal in 2007 and has served for 14 years.
Education and background: Morris earned her bachelor's degree from the University of South Carolina. She earned a master's degree in Secondary Education from Coastal Carolina University and received a second master’s degree in Secondary Supervision from Converse University.
Spartanburg District Five
Duncan Elementary School of the Arts
New Principal: Marc Zachary is a former executive director from Legacy Early College charter school in Greenville County.
Where is he from?: Zachary comes to the district after serving as executive director of Legacy Early College charter school in Greenville County. Zachary was the principal of Mary H. Wright Elementary School from 2015-2019. He began his administrative journey as principal of E.P. Todd Elementary School in 2004. Zachary started his career in the classroom teaching at Mary H. Wright.
Education and background: Zachary earned his bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Clemson University, a master’s degree from Converse University, and an Educational Specialist and a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from the University of South Carolina.
Florence Chapel Middle School
New Principal: Josh Kay is the former assistant principal at Florence Chapel Middle School.
Where is he from?: Kay has been part of District 5 since 2018. Kay began as a high school English teacher at Liberty High School in Pickens County. He went on to teach at Blue Ridge High School in Greenville County in 2008. Kay then served as an assistant principal at Travelers Rest High School from 2014-2018.
Education and background: Kay earned his bachelor's degree in English Education from Bob Jones University, a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and a master's degree in Educational Leadership from Jones International University in Centennial, Colorado.
Spartanburg District Six
West View Elementary School
New Principal: Shameka Dawkins is the former principal at New Prospect Elementary.
Where is she from?: Dawkins is joining District Six with 20 years of experience in education. She was the principal at New Prospect Elementary in
Spartanburg School District One.
Education and background: Dawkins attended Georgia Southern University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education. She earned a master's degree in Educational Leadership from the University of North Florida.
Spartanburg District Seven
Carver Middle School
New Principal: Randy Edwards is the former assistant principal at Carver Middle School.
Where is he from?: Edwards previously taught math at Istrouma High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He oversees the Kings Mentoring Program for boys and the GEMS (Girls in Engineering Math and Science) Mentoring Program. Edwards also leads Carver’s Multi-Tiered System of Support for students.
Education and background: Edwards has a bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University and a master's in Education from the University of South Carolina.
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Spartanburg school districts have announced new principals
