Principals named at E.E. Smith High School, three other Cumberland County schools

Larry Parker will become principal of E.E. Smith High School, school officials said.

Parker, who had been serving as principal of Reid Ross Classical School, takes over at E.E. Smith from Donell Underdue, who was promoted to Cumberland County Schools’ assistant superintendent for district transformation and strategic initiatives.

New principals: E.E. Smith principal among promotions approved by Cumberland County Board of Education

Parker's move to E.E. Smith was one of four announced by school officials after a meeting of the Cumberland County Board of Education on Tuesday. Two were new principals approved by the board, while the other two were transfers announced by Superintendent Marvin Connelly Jr.

Parker, who has worked for Cumberland County Schools since 2002, served as assistant principal at E.E. Smith from 2012 to 2014, according to a statement released by school officials. He started his career as a teacher who could work with pre-kindergarten through second-grade classes and earned master’s degrees in education and in school administration from Campbell University.

Tyson Johnson will take over for Parker as principal at Reid Ross, according to the statement. She came to the school district in 2007 as an English teacher at E.E. Smith and most recently served as principal of Cumberland Mills Elementary School.

Johnson earned a master’s degree in school administration from Fayetteville State University in 2011 and served as an assistant principal at South View High School beginning in 2012.

The school board approved new principals for an elementary school and a high school.

Amy McDowell was named principal of Cumberland Mills Elementary School, where she had been serving as an assistant principal. Her career in Cumberland County began in 2002 as a fourth-grade teacher at Benjamin Martin Elementary School.

McDowell earned a master’s in school administration from Appalachian State University.

Douglas Massengill was named principal of Massey Hill Classical High School. He has held teaching and administrative roles in Cumberland County, but most recently served as an adjunct professor at Gardner-Webb University for its master’s in executive leadership program and as principal and secondary Multi-Tiered System of Supports coordinator at Roseboro-Salemburg Middle School in Sampson County.

Massengill earned a master’s in education, an educational specialist degree and a doctorate in educational leadership from Gardner-Webb.

Staffing changes: Ten Cumberland County schools to get new principals next year

The announcement of the four principals means that at least 19 Cumberland County schools will have new leadership in the 2022-23 school year.

Others and the schools are:

Ayanna Q. Richard, Howard Learning Academy;

Lawrence Smalls, Ramsey Street High School;

Casey Yates, Brentwood Elementary School;

Catherine Abraham-Johnson, E.E. Miller Elementary School;

Tiffany Eakins, Elizabeth Cashwell Elementary School;

Waylinda Williams, Ponderosa Elementary School;

Elizabeth Blue, Raleigh Road Elementary School;

Queesha Tillman, Seventy-First Classical Middle School;

Anita McLaughlin, Sunnyside Elementary School;

Niesha Witherspoon, Seventy-First High School;

Todd Yardis, Warrenwood Elementary School;

John “Royvell” Godbolt, Terry Sanford High School;

Tanya Higgins, Eastover-Central Elementary School;

Kamal Watkins, District 7 Elementary School; and

Cornelius Felder, Pine Forest Middle School.

Local news editor Steve DeVane can be reached at sdevane@fayobserver.com.

Huge savings: $1 for 3 months

Subscribe today to support local journalism and enjoy unlimited digital access including videos, apps, sports news, and more. Special introductory offer for new subscribers only.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Principals named at E.E. Smith, three other Cumberland County schools