Haslam Announces 2017 Governor's Academy for School Leadership Participants
Twenty-five assistant principals from across Tennessee selected for second annual academy
NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced the participants selected for the 2017 Governor’s Academy for School Leadership (GASL), a one-year fellowship program for assistant principals to cultivate and develop future school leaders.
This second annual academy continues the partnership between the state of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College and local school districts to build a pipeline of highly-trained school principals and ultimately improve school effectiveness and performance and unlock educational opportunities for all students. The inaugural class started last February.
“We have raised expectations, invested more in education and are making huge strides in education in Tennessee. Our students and teachers have stepped up to the challenge and we need strong school leadership to support them and continue the momentum,” Haslam said.
Last month Haslam announced that Tennessee students are the fastest improving in the nation in science, according to the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), commonly known as the Nation’s Report Card.
Each assistant principal selected has been paired with an experienced principal mentor and will attend monthly group training sessions and a week-long summer institute at Vanderbilt and will intern three days a month at his/her mentor’s school. Upon completion of the academy, participants will be expected to pursue placement as a school principal in their district or region.
Participants were nominated by their district’s director of schools and selected through an application and interview process conducted by representatives from the Governor’s Office, the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) and Vanderbilt University.
The second class of GASL participants and mentors includes:
Participants School District
Courtney Whitehead Carpenters Middle Blount County
Justin Whittenbarger Homestead Elementary Cumberland County
Andrea Bledsoe Charlotte Elementary Dickson County
Sarah Gray Mosheim Elementary Greene County
Lindsay Starnes Calvin Donaldson Hamilton County
Cameshia Emerson Bolivar Central High Hardeman County
Krista Mann Rogersville Middle Hawkins County
Victoria Perry Humboldt Jr. & Sr. High Humboldt City Schools
Melanie Simpson Piedmont Elementary Jefferson County
James Wernke Ross Robinson Middle Kingsport City
Joann Bost Carter Middle Knox County
Ashley Booher Gibbs Elementary Knox County
David Ayers Lara Kendall Elementary Lake County
Patty Franks Summertown Elementary Lawrence County
Emma McWeeney LEAD Southeast LEAD Public Schools
Danielle Beckman Forrest Middle & High Marshall County
Shavoncia Watts E.A. Cox Middle Maury County
Marquis Churchwell Joelton Middle Prep Metro Nashville Public Schools
Celia Jolly Overton High Metro Nashville Public Schools
Sandra Paschall Rhea Elementary Paris Special School District
Chelsea Spaulding Riverdale High Rutherford County
Holly Kidder Sweetwater Jr. High Sweetwater City
Nathan Wade Union County High Union County
Bethany Wilson West Wilson Middle Wilson County
Candice Miller Georgian Hills Elementary Achievement School District
Mentors School District
April Herron Middlesettlements Elementary Blount County
Jennifer Magnusson North Cumberland Elementary Cumberland County
Crysti Sheley Centennial Elementary Dickson County
Amy Brooks Nolachuckey Elementary Greene County
Emily Baker Brown Academy Hamilton County
Darlene Cardwell Middleton High Hardeman County
Thomas Floyd Cherokee High Hawkins County
Jonathan Kee Huntingdon High Humboldt City Schools
Michelle Walker Maury Middle Jefferson County
Chris Hampton Dobyns-Bennett High Kingsport City
Christine Oehler Powell Middle Knox County
Kristi Woods East Knox Elementary Knox County
Suzanne Keefe Halls High Lake County
Christy Crews Ethridge Elementary Lawrence County
Tait Danhausen Cameron LEAD Public Schools
John Bush Marshall County High Marshall County
Leigh Ann Willey Santa Fe Unit Maury County
Kevin Armstrong Dupont Hadley Middle Prep Metro Nashville Public Schools
Clint Wilson Glencliff High Metro Nashville Public Schools
Norma Gerrell Paris Special Paris Special School District
Larry Creasy Siegel High Rutherford County
Heather Henry Brown Intermediate Sweetwater City
Greg Clay Horace Maynard Middle Union County
Christine Miller Stoner Creek Elementary Wilson County
Anne Thomas Pathways in Education Achievement School District