Too many administrative changes in a school district can be unsettling, so Dr. Montrell Greene is trying to make the most recent slew of new hires a teaching moment.
The superintendent announced the changes to students at the schools they will affect, complete with a lesson in goal-making and a push toward making a difference in one’s hometown.
The changes are as follows:
nWith the reconfiguration of Greenwood High School, Dr. Lorita Harris was moved from her post at the district’s central office to principal of the ninth and 10th grades. That leaves Harris’ previous position, director of operations, open.
nCharles Johnson, former assistant principal at Threadgill Elementary, will replace Mary Brown as principal of W.C. Williams Elementary. Brown was recently promoted to assistant superintendent of curriculum.
nJohnson’s former post has been filled with Kenyatta Tanner, formerly an instructional coach at the elementary school.
Greene visited both Threadgill and W.C. Williams and explained the changes to the students.
“I asked them, ‘Do you have goals? What are they?’ and they all answered,” he said.
Next Greene told the students that their teachers and administrators also have dreams and are working on fulfilling them. He introduced each promotion with suspense, pointing out that the new hires are all local.
“I said, these are two home people who have risen through the ranks,” he explained. “I wanted to make it a teachable moment, that if you prepare yourself, you can bloom where you’re planted.”
Greene said that the students, from kindergarten on up, gave each newly appointed administrator a round of applause.
• Contact Jeanie Riess at 581-7235 or jriess@gwcommonwealth.com.
