With the 2024- 25 academic school year only weeks away for Clarksville-Montgomery County, the school district has announced its list of people appointed as principals, assistant principals and working at the district's office.
Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools has announced new 2024-25 school year principals. So far, CMCSS has filled ten principal seats across the district.
Along with naming principals, CMCSS has named 10 assistant principals and four who will work at the district office: Christopher J. Causey was named Chief of Staff; Bryan Feldman was named Director of High Schools; Tavis Massey was Director of Student Service; and James Bailey Early Technical College as TCAT Administrator.
Here's what to know about principals and their new schools:
New principals named
CMCSS K-12 Virtual School
Keith Parker is the new principal of CMCSS K-12 Virtual School, where he has served as the assistant principal since the school was founded in 2021. Parker has worked for CMCSS since 2007 in many roles, including a teacher, academic coach, assistant principal and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and the Kenwood High School principal for two years.
He earned his bachelor's in History Education from Austin Peay State University and a master's in School Administration from Sam Houston University.
East Montgomery Elementary School
Cynthia Kerr is joining East Montgomery Elementary School as the principal, leaving Hazelwood Elementary School, where she has been principal since 2016. Kerr began her career with CMCSS and has held titles as a teacher, academic coach, assistant principal, and principal during her tenure. Kerr was named a Distinguished Classroom Teacher in 2010 and earned the Fox 17 Top Teacher of the Week designation in 2007. She is a graduate of the CMCSS Aspiring Administrator Academy.
She earned a bachelor's in Interdisciplinary Studies from APSU and master's in Educational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University
Cumberland Heights Elementary School
Rachel Funderburk, who has worked in the CMCSS district for more than 10 years, has been named the principal of Cumberland Heights Elementary School. Funderburk has also served as a Primary Modified Teacher, Resource Teacher, Special Populations Elementary Consulting Teacher, assistant principal, and interim principal at CMCSS schools.
Funderburk received her bachelor's in Special Education, master's in Special Education Curriculum and Instruction, and doctoral degrees in Educational Leadership and Elementary Reading Education from APSU.
Hazelwood Elementary School
Candice Leaverton is joining Hazelwood Elementary as principal from Rossview Middle School, where she was assistant principal. As a special education teacher and department chair, she began her career with CMCSS in 2017. Prior to coming to CMCSS, she worked as a special education teacher in Tennessee, Georgia, Alaska and with the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) in Italy.
Leaverton graduated from CMCSS Aspiring Administrator Academy, Sumner County Schools Leadership Academy and the Aspiring Secondary Principal Academy. She received her bachelor's from APSU, master's from Walden University and doctoral degrees from Union University.
Kirkwood Elementary School
Frances Ann Camp will be the first principal of Kirkwood Elementary School. She has more than 18 years of administration experience, including serving as an assistant principal at Rossview Elementary and Barkers Mill Elementary, and 10 years of experience as a teacher at Hazelwood Elementary School.
Camp completed the CMCSS Leadership Series and the CMCSS Aspiring Administrators Academy. She earned her bachelor's in Elementary Education from APSU and her master's in Administration and Supervision from Trevecca Nazarene University.
St. Bethlehem Early Learning Center
Maribeth Mathis, with 21 years of school administrator experience in CMCSS, has been named principal at St. Bethlehem Early Learning Center. Before coming to St. Bethlehem Early Learning Center, Mathis was the principal of Burt Elementary School. Since 1996, she has served in multiple positions, including teacher, Title I Reading Specialist and APSU's Aspiring Assistant Principal Network Leadership Coach.
Mathis has completed trainings at the Ayers Institute for Teacher Learning and Innovation, Kagan Cooperative Learning Strategies and McREL Balanced Leadership for Administrators. She received her bachelor's in Early Education Childhood Learning and Development from Murray State University and her master's in Educational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University.
Kenwood Middle School
Karen Miller is now principal at Kenwood Middle School. Miller's career in public education spans 22 years and covers three school districts in the state serving as a wellness instructor, physical education instructor, dean of students and academic principal in Metro Nashville Public Schools and Hamilton County Schools before coming to CMCSS, eventually becoming the principal at Early Technical College at TCAT in 2021.
Miller earned her bachelor's and master's in Human Performance and Sport Science Education, a doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction from Tennessee State University, and a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Carson-Newman.
Clarksville High School
Erin Hedrick has been named the principal of Clarksville High School. She will move from CMCSS K-12 Virtual School, where she served as principal since its founding in 2021. She has served as a teacher, CMCSS K-12 Virtual Coordinator, eight years as an assistant principal and eight years as a principal at all levels. Her schools earned multiple Tennessee Reward School designation, named Teacher of the Year in 2006 and won the CMCEA Spotlight Award in 2011.
Hedrick received her bachelor's and master's from APSU.
Kenwood High School
Nigel Anderson is the new principal of Kenwood High School. He has been in education since 2011, when he was a school psychologist. He has also been a principal, Associate Principal of Operations and Special Service Coordinator in Illinois. Since joining CMCSS in 2021, Anderson has served as a Coordinator of Special Populations and as an assistant principal of Northwest High School.
Anderson earned his bachelor's in Political Science from National Louis University, master's in Education Administration from Governors State University, Education Specialist degree in School Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from the University of St. Francis.
Northeast High School
Brad Hutson has been named the principal at Northeast High School, where he has worked for the past 15 years as a teacher, athletic director, and assistant principal. During the 15 years Hutson has worked at Northeast High School, he has served as a speech, theatre, TV Production and fine arts teacher, leading the Eagle News Network, Speech and Debate Teach and Student Government. He has also worked in CMCSS district and state-level leadership roles including the Tennessee High School Speech and Drama League (THSSDL) State Board and coordinating district and regional athletic events.
Hutson received his bachelor's in Mass Communication from Middle Tennessee State University, master's in Health & Human Performance and his doctoral degree in Leadership and Professional Practices from Trevecca Nazarene.
Assistant Principal s
In addition to principal changes, some schools can see a new assistant principal as the district has appointed 10 so far.
- Burt Elementary School- Renee Keesler
- Byrns Darden Elementary School- Mark Banasiak
- Kirkwood Elementary School- Kim Parker
- St. Bethlehem Early Learning Center- Brian Belt
- St. Bethlehem Early Learning Center- Fonda Malone
- Richview Middle School- Frances Canada-McKillip
- Northeast High School- Andrew Knowles
- Northeast High School- Lauren McCurdy
- Northeast High School- Kim Walker
- Northwest High School- James A. Sensabaugh
Kenya Anderson is a reporter for The Leaf-Chronicle. She can be contacted at kanderson@gannett.com or on X at kenyaanderson32 . Sign up for the Leaf-Chronicle to support local journalism at www.theleafchronicle.com.
This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Meet the new Clarksville-Montgomery County principals ahead of the new school year
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