New principals selected to replace outgoing administrators
The Eugene School District is pleased to announce principal and assistant principal appointments at several schools for 2013–14.
Elementary Schools:
PRINCIPALS:
- Camas Ridge: Tom Maloney
- Charlemagne: Morley Hegstrom
- Corridor & Yujin Gakuen : Tom Piowaty
- Gilham: Gina Wilde
- Holt: Joyce Smith-Johnson
- McCornack: Londa Rochholz
- Spring Creek: Susan Penrod
- Twin Oaks: Kathy Owen
Camas Ridge: Tom Maloney has been named principal at Camas Ridge Community Elementary School, replacing Kathy Owen who has been appointed principal at Twin Oaks. A seasoned educator and administrator, Mr. Maloney’s background and interests include special education, community schools, and school architecture and design. He has extensive experience working closely with elementary students, staff and parents in South Eugene, having served as principal at Crest Drive, Edison and Charlemagne French Immersion Elementary Schools over the past decade.
Charlemagne: Morley Hegstrom will serve as interim principal for the 2013–14 school year. Ms. Hegstrom is a highly capable and experienced school administrator who speaks French, understands the needs of a language immersion school, and knows well the South Eugene region. Ms. Hegstrom replaces Tom Maloney, who is moving to Camas Ridge.
Corridor & Yujin Gakuen: Thomas (Tom) Masaru Piowaty will remain as the ongoing principal at Corridor Alternative Elementary School and Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion Elementary School. The two alternative schools share a building. Mr. Piowaty has been in education for more than 20 years, most recently as the principal for Central Linn Elementary School before being hired by 4J last year as interim–temporary principal at Corridor and Yujin Gakuen.
Gilham: Gina Wilde has been hired as the new principal at Gilham Elementary School, replacing Gig Nelson who is retiring. Ms. Wilde comes to 4J from neighboring Springfield Public Schools, where she has been a strong instructional leader. She brings to 4J her 17 years of background as an educator; her expertise as a reading specialist; and her experience playing a critical role in Springfield’s transition to the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics over the past two years.
Holt: Joyce Smith-Johnson has been hired as the new principal at Bertha Holt Elementary School, replacing Kevin Boling who is retiring. Ms. Smith-Johnson’s 18-year education career includes some time in 4J. Most recently Ms. Smith-Johnson was appointed by the State of Oregon as a Leadership Coach for Focus Schools with the Oregon Continuous Improvement Network.
McCornack: Londa Rochholz has been appointed principal at McCornack Elementary, replacing Tasha Katsuda who is taking on a role in human resources. Ms. Rochholz has long experience with 4J and the Churchill region—not only as a staff member, but earlier as a student and a parent. She was a Churchill High School graduate and a McCornack parent. She has served as assistant principal at Churchill for the past several years.
Spring Creek: Susan Penrod will remain at Spring Creek Elementary School as the ongoing principal. Ms. Penrod was hired by 4J in 2012 as the interim–temporary principal at Spring Creek. She has more than 15 years of experience as an educator, including as a special education teacher, TAG coordinator and counselor. Most of her career has been in Title schools.
Twin Oaks: Kathy Owen has been selected to be principal at Twin Oaks Elementary School, replacing Larry Soberman who is retiring. Ms. Owen came from Canby last year to be a 4J school administrator. She brings more than 25 years of elementary school experience, including work as an elementary teacher, TAG facilitator and child development/intervention specialist.
Middle Schools:
PRINCIPALS:
- Cal Young: Kim Watry
- Kelly: Wes Flinn
- Monroe: Mike Johnson
ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS:
- ATA/Family: Linda O’Shea
- Kelly: Charlie Jett
- Roosevelt: Mike Yocum
ATA/Family: Linda O’Shea has been selected to be assistant principal of the middle school Arts & Technology Academy and K–8 Family School. The two school programs share the former Jefferson building.
Cal Young: Kim Watry has been hired to be principal at Cal Young Middle School, replacing Cydney Vandercar who is taking on a role in human resources. Ms. Watry comes to 4J from Colorado. She has been an educator for 15 years, spending about half of her career so far as a middle school science teacher and the more recent half as a school administrator.
Kelly: There’s a new principal but not a new face at Kelly Middle School. Wes Flinn, formerly Kelly’s assistant principal, has been selected to be the school’s new principal. He replaces José da Silva, who has accepted a position with Springfield Public Schools. The new assistant principal, taking Mr. Flinn’s place, will be Charlie Jett.
Monroe: Michael (Mike) Johnson has been selected to be principal at Monroe Middle School. Mr. Johnson has nearly 30 years of experience as an educator, including background in health and physical education and most recently serving as assistant principal at Sheldon High School. (The school’s former ongoing principal, Peter Tromba, was appointed to be the district’s director of technology in 2012, and the district appointed two retired administrators to serve on an interim basis, each for half of this school year.)
Roosevelt: Mike Yocum has been hired to be assistant principal at Roosevelt Middle School, replacing Doug Kelly who is retiring. Mr. Yocum has a decade of experience as an educator, including teaching English in the Dominican Republic through service in the Peace Corps, teaching Spanish in Colorado, and most recently serving as a behavioral consultant for Fern Ridge School District. Earlier in his career, he also worked in 4J middle schools as a special education instructional assistant and special education teacher.
High Schools:
ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS:
- Churchill: Molly Hammans
- Sheldon: Carey Killen
- South Eugene: Jericho Schwab
Churchill: Molly Hammans has been appointed assistant principal at Churchill High School to replace Londa Rochholz, who has been appointed principal at McCornack Elementary School.
Sheldon: Carey Killen has been hired as the new assistant principal at Sheldon High School, replacing Mike Johnson who will be principal at Monroe Middle School. Dr. Killen has extensive experience teaching Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Spanish in Beaverton and coordinating the IB program in Bend. She also has taught in Chile on a Fulbright exchange, at Central Oregon Community College in Bend, and English and Spanish literacy for Spanish-speaking adults. She completed her doctorate in Education Methodology, Policy and Leadership at the University of Oregon.
South Eugene: Jericho Schwab has been hired as assistant principal at South Eugene High School, replacing John Wayland, who has accepted an administrator position in the Tigard-Tualatin School District. Ms. Schwab has been a teacher for 10 years, primarily English and Spanish. She comes to 4J from Springfield Public Schools, where she has been an active teacher leader and member of the diversity and equity cadre in Springfield, and was named the district’s Teacher of the Year in 2012. She is a 4J graduate.
updated September 2, 2013
