SPS names principals for Cherokee, Hickory Hills, Pershing, Pipkin, Twain, Weaver, York
Springfield Public Schools announced seven principal hires Friday involving two middle schools, two K-8 buildings, and three elementary schools.
Pipkin Middle School's assistant principal is being prompted to the principal job.
The principals picked for Cherokee, Hickory Hills, Twain, Weaver and York will be new to those schools but are already district employees working in other buildings.
The educator picked to lead the Pershing K-8 school is new to the district. He is working in Arkansas.
The job changes start July 1.
Pipkin Middle School
For the past three years, Duane Cox has been assistant principal at Pipkin. He will move to the principal's office, replacing Becky Ash.
In a news release, the district said Cox has worked to establish positive relationships with students, families and staff, while connecting individuals with resources and other support.
Cox joined the Springfield district from Willard, where he worked six years as the junior high math teacher. He also coached volleyball and basketball.
He spent 11 years in Ash Grove, where he taught multiple subjects in grades 7-12. He also coached basketball, volleyball and cross country.
He completed undergraduate studies in education at Missouri State University, graduate work in educational administration and an education specialist degree — both from William Woods University.
Hickory Hills K-8 school
Becky Ash, principal of Pipkin for six years, is the next principal of Hickory Hills. Her job at Pipkin included hiring, coaching and evaluating staff.
She previously served as assistant principal at Jarrett Middle School.
Ash was an elementary teacher in Camdenton and Kirksville before she was hired by the Springfield district and spent three years as a teacher at the Wonders of the Ozarks Learning Facility, the magnet program called WOLF.
She completed her undergraduate studies in elementary education at Fontbonne University, graduate studies in educational administration at Missouri State University, and an education specialist degree from Southwest Baptist University.
Cherokee Middle School
Curt Ivey, assistant principal of Jarrett Middle School for five years, will be Cherokee's next principal.
He will replace Andre Illig, who will be the district's director of middle school and K-8 schools.
At Jarrett, he assists in staff development, supervision and evaluation. He also handled student discipline.
Ivey spent 13 years teaching in Branson and Belton prior to joining the district.
He completed his undergraduate studies in education at the University of Central Missouri, a graduate degree in educational administration from William Woods University and an education specialist degree from Arkansas State University.
Pershing K-8 school
Tommy Wells is the next principal of Pershing.
He is currently assistant principal of Hot Springs World Class High School in Arkansas.
In that role, he oversees career and technical education, coordinates transportation, handles student discipline and staff development, and maintains attendance and performance systems.
Wells was dean of students at Cross County New Tech High School and Palestine Wheatley High School, which are both in Arkansas. He coached basketball and football while serving as the district athletic director.
For five years, he taught elementary physical education and math intervention in the Little Rock district.
Wells will replace principal Jason Steingraber, who will serve as the district's executive director of elementary.
He completed his undergraduate work in health and physical education at Williams Baptist College, graduate studies in educational leadership at Arkansas State University, and will complete an education specialist degree from Arkansas State University in December.
Twain Elementary
Blaine Broderick, school community liaison at McGregor Elementary for two years, is the new principal of Twain.
In that role, he leads school community partnerships, served as the liaison for Club Encore and Explore, implemented positive behavior intervention supports, and managed the school’s social media and webpage.
Broderick spent six years teaching special education, English language arts and social studies in Nixa before joining the Springfield district.
At Twain, he will replace principal Jennifer Webb, who will serve as the coordinator of student and school services.
He completed his undergraduate studies in cross-categorical special education, graduate studies in educational administration, and an education specialist degree — all from Missouri State University.
Weaver Elementary
Cheryl Goetz, Title I learning coach at Boyd Elementary for six years, will serve as the next Weaver principal.
In her current role, she developed and implemented grade-level team and professional development to help teachers improve their instruction.
She spent three years teaching at Bowerman before moving to Boyd.
Goetz worked in two districts before joining the Springfield district. She spent 10 years in Wentzville and two years with the special school district of St. Louis County.
At Weaver, she will replace principal Cindy Webster, who will serve as the district's executive director of elementary.
She completed undergraduate studies in elementary education and graduate work in educational administration at Missouri State University. She also completed a master's degree in elementary education at Lindenwood University.
York Elementary
Shondra Fetter, school community liaison for Delaware Elementary, is the next principal at York.
She will replace principal Lora Hopper, who is retiring.
Fetter spent two years as assistant principal for Mallory Elementary in Dallas County and three years as the Explore summer school principal at York and Bissett within the Springfield district.
She spent nine years teaching fifth grade in Springfield and Marshfield and four years teaching Title I preschool in Marshfield and Chadwick.
Fetter completed undergraduate studies in elementary education at Drury University and graduate work in educational administration from Southwest Baptist University.
Claudette Riley is the education reporter for the News-Leader. Email news tips to criley@news-leader.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield Public Schools names seven principals Friday for next year
