Lexington, Ky. – Two Lexington elementary school principals will join the ayette County Public Schools’ executive leadership team to help support other principals, Superintendent Manny Caulk announced.
Clays Mill Elementary School Principal Edwina Smith and Maxwell Elementary School Principal Heather Bell told their staff and families yesterday about their new positions.
“Our team keeps getting stronger,” Caulk said. “Edwina and Heather have proven that they are committed to creating learning environments where every student is valued and challenged. They built successful teams at their schools and I know they have what it takes to support other principals working to do the same in their buildings.”
Bell has been with the Fayette County Public Schools since 1993, having taught at Meadowthorpe, Harrison and Northern elementary schools before serving as an elementary language arts specialist. She was selected as principal at Maxwell Elementary in 2005.
“I believe in Superintendent Caulk’s vision for ensuring that the students of Fayette County have the global competencies they will need in the 21st Century,” Bell said. “His vision parallels the work we’ve been doing at Maxwell Elementary and I’m honored to offer my services and experiences from a school with a great collaborative community and strong home-school partnerships in support of our district.”
Smith has more than 26 years of experience in the field of education. She taught at Meadow View Elementary in Hardin County, where she also served as assistant principal before joining the Fayette County Public Schools in 1996. In Fayette County she taught at Glendover Elementary, and held the professional staff assistant positions at Glendover and Russell elementaries. She was named principal at Russell in 1998 and principal at Clays Mill Elementary in 2001.
“I’m very excited to be a part of the momentum that Superintendent Caulk is leading for the students in our school district,” Smith said. “The students in Fayette County deserve the absolute best educational experience we can provide and I am humbled for the opportunity to offer my time and talents to help make that happen.”
As Elementary School Directors, Smith and Bell will each oversee a team of roughly a dozen principals and will be responsible for supporting their schools. They will be members of Caulk’s cabinet.
Bell and Smith will officially assume their duties on January 25, 2016. The Professional Growth and Effectiveness Coaches at both schools will serve as acting principals for the rest of the school year. Grant Davis will be the acting principal at Clays Mill and Michelle Grant will be the acting principal at Maxwell. The School Based Decision Making councils at both schools will be responsible for selecting a permanent replacement to start on July 1, 2016.
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