When schools open in September, there will be many new faces in Lake Washington School District (LWSD), including a new superintendent, new directors, new principals and new associate principals. Openings resulted from retirements or administrators accepting positions in other districts.
Superintendent:
Dr. Jane Stavem has been named the 12th Superintendent of Lake Washington School District. Stavem started on Aug. 1. Stavem came to LWSD from Lincoln Public Schools in Lincoln, Nebraska. There, she served as the Associate Superintendent for Instruction, overseeing nine departments and supporting a rapidly growing district of 41,000 students in the Capital City of Nebraska. Read more about Dr. Stavem here.
Central office:
Gloria Henderson has been selected to serve as Director, Opportunity, Equity, and Inclusion. Henderson joins LWSD from Shoreline School District, where she served as principal at Highland Terrace Elementary School. Prior to Highland Terrace, she also served as an elementary principal in Marysville, a middle school assistant principal in Seattle and an elementary and middle school teacher in Marysville.
This is a new position for LWSD.
“We are pleased and excited to add Gloria as our new Director, Equity, Opportunity and Inclusion,” Stavem said in a press release. “Gloria will work closely with our entire District Leadership Team to support and lead equity efforts in all of our schools and programs.”
Dr. Traci Pierce, former LWSD Superintendent will replace Dan Phelan as the Director, College & Career Readiness. Phelan retired at the end of the 2017-18 school year.
Dr. Shannon Hitch will replace Paul Vine as the Director, Special Services. Vine moved to the position of Associate Director, Special Services – Juanita Learning Community. Hitch comes to LWSD from Northshore School District where she has served as Director, Secondary Special Education since 2012.
Principal changes for 2018-19:
Emily Dickinson Elementary/Explorer Community School:
Barbara Pridgeon replaces Karen Barker as the new principal of Emily Dickinson Elementary and Explorer Community School. Barker will now serve as the principal of Clara Barton Elementary, scheduled to open this fall. Pridgeon joins LWSD from Bethel School District where she served as an assistant principal at Frederickson Elementary School.
Rosa Parks Elementary:
Melissa Doering, current associate principal at Emily Dickinson Elementary/Explorer Community School, has been named the principal of Rosa Parks Elementary. Doering replaces Kim Bilanko, who will now serve as the principal of Ella Baker Elementary, scheduled to open this fall. Doering served as associate principal at Horace Mann Elementary and Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary in 2016-17, and at Emily Dickinson and Explorer in 2017-18. Prior to coming to Lake Washington, Doering served as an elementary assistant principal and a reading/instructional coach in Phoenix, Arizona.
Evergreen Middle School:
Kristian Dahl has been selected to serve as Evergreen Middle School’s principal. Dahl has served as an associate principal at Inglewood Middle School since 2014. He replaces Robert Johnson, who is moving to an associate principal position at Eastlake High School.
Associate Principal changes for 2018-19:
Ella Baker Elementary/Henry David Thoreau Elementary:
Julie Guest will serve as an associate principal at Ella Baker Elementary and Henry David Thoreau Elementary. Guest is a long-time LWSD employee. She started her teaching career in 1997 and has taught in primary, intermediate, multi-age and highly capable.
Evergreen Middle School:
Angela Morrison will transfer from her current role of serving as associate principal at Elizabeth Blackwell and Rachel Carson Elementary Schools to her new role as Evergreen Middle School Associate Principal. Morrison replaces Katy Rudolph, who left the district.
Elizabeth Blackwell Elementary/Rachel Carson Elementary:
Liz Forba will serve as an associate principal at both Elizabeth Blackwell Elementary and Rachel Carson Elementary. Forba joined LWSD in 2014 and has since taught fourth grade at Christa McAuliffe Elementary. Forba replaces Angela Morrison, who is now the associate principal at Evergreen Middle School.
Juanita Elementary/Helen Keller Elementary:
Edith Brumant will serve as an associate principal at Juanita Elementary and Helen Keller Elementary. Brumant comes to LWSD from the Kent School District where she taught grade five highly capable, served as elementary summer school site coordinator, was a building representative, and English Language (EL) teacher/interventionist. Brumant replaces Holly Appelgate who is now with Snohomish School District.
Rosa Parks Elementary:
Wynn Spaulding, most recently an Associate Director, Special Services, will serve as an associate principal at Rosa Parks Elementary. Spaulding replaces Leslie Elmer, who will return to teaching in 2018-19.
Clara Barton Elementary/Albert Einstein Elementary:
Will Peterson has been selected as the associate principal at Clara Barton Elementary and Albert Einstein Elementary. Peterson joins LWSD from Highline Public Schools where he taught Spanish for the past six years at Raisbeck Aviation High School. Peterson leads the Spanish immersion language program there and has also served as a teacher of Spanish for adults in Highline. Peterson replaces Leslie Elmer, who will return to teaching in 2018-19.
Lake Washington High School (LWHS):
Dana Greenberg, who most recently served as associate principal at Finn Hill Middle School, will transfer to Lake Washington High School to serve as associate principal.
Justyna King will also be an associate principal at LWHS. King comes from Eastside Catholic, where she served as a high school administrator for four years. She earned her National Board Certification in Social Studies in 2014.
Tim Schultz will also serve as an associate principal at LWHS. Schultz joins LWSD from Renton School District where he has served for the past three years as assistant principal at Nelson Middle School.
Greenberg, King and Schultz replace Brian Story, Lloyd Higgins and Kia DuNann. Story moved to an associate principal position at Alexander Graham Bell Elementary. Higgins retired at the end of the 2018-19 school year and DuNann moved to a position in the Snohomish School District.
Finn Hill Middle School:
Nichol Cassaro will serve as an associate principal at Finn Hill Middle School. Cassaro comes to us from Everett Public Schools where she has served as assistant principal at Henry M. Jackson High School for the past two years. Cassaro replaces Dana Greenberg, who is now an associate principal at LWHS.
Alexander Graham Bell Elementary:
Brian Story, who most recently served as associate principal at Lake Washington High School, will transfer to Alexander Graham Bell Elementary to serve as full-time associate principal. Story replaces Anne Balicki, who left the district.
Alexander Graham Bell Elementary/Margaret Mead Elementary:
Sara Schmied will serve as an associate principal at both Alexander Graham Bell Elementary and Margaret Mead Elementary. Since 2009, Schmied has served as school counselor at Alexander Graham Bell Elementary. Prior to coming to Bell, Schmied served as a school counselor in Monroe School District.
Redmond Middle School:
Nicole Mattingly is the new associate principal for Redmond Middle School. Mattingly comes to LWSD from Chief Leschi Schools, where she served as pre-K-12 Assessment Coordinator and Instructional Facilitator and completed her administrative internship. Mattingly replaces Karen Belshaw who retired at the end of the 2017-18 school year.
Rose Hill Middle School:
Alicia Mendez will serve as an associate principal at Rose Hill Middle School. Mendez joins LWSD from North Kitsap School District where she served as an assistant principal at North Kitsap High School.
Emerson Campus (Emerson High School/Emerson K-12/Northstar Middle School):
Catherine Fredenburg who most recently served as associate principal at Eastlake High School, will transfer to Emerson Campus to serve as an associate principal.
Eastlake High School:
Robert Johnson transferred to Eastlake High School for next year to serve as associate principal. Johnson replaces Catherine Fredenburg, who moved to an associate principal position at the Emerson Campus.
International Community School (ICS):
Mike O’Donnell will serve as an associate principal at International Community School. O’Donnell joins LWSD from Alconbury Middle High School, a U.S. Department of Defense school just outside Cambridge, UK, where he served as principal for the past five years.
Nikola Tesla STEM High School:
Cynthia Burt will serve as associate principal at Nikola Tesla STEM High School. Burt joined Lake Washington in 2010 as a teacher at International Community School. She then joined the planning team for Tesla STEM in 2012, and has served as PCC Leader, advisor for student competitions and English teacher.
Emily Dickinson Elementary/Explorer Community School:
Ashley Boughton will serve as the associate principal at Emily Dickinson Elementary and Explorer Community School. Boughton has been with Lake Washington since 2006. Since 2014, she has served as a Professional Learning Coach, collaborating in the development of the program and providing coaching and professional development to teachers across the district. She replaces Melissa Doering, who was selected as the new principal of Rosa Parks Elementary.
Juanita High School:
Kelly Konicki has been selected to serve as an associate principal at Juanita High School. Most recently, Konicki has been the Administrative Intern at Redmond Middle School since 2017. During her tenure at Redmond Middle School, she has also served as a leadership teacher, ASB advisor, school intervention chair, science teacher and department chair. Konicki replaces Erik Weiss, who moved to a new position in Seattle Public Schools.
Inglewood Middle School:
Sara Hall will be taking the role of associate principal at Inglewood Middle School. Hall has been at Redmond Middle School since 2004 as an art teacher, teacher leader and most recently an administrative intern. Hall replaces Kristian Dahl, who will now serve as principal at Evergreen Middle School.
Christa McAuliffe Elementary:
Bridget Ballard has been named the new associate principal at Christa McAuliffe Elementary. Most recently, Ballard served as an elementary school dean in Kent School District. Ballard replaces Kari Weed, who left the district.
