The development of future school and classroom leaders within Aiken County Public Schools took center stage Tuesday (April 16) as Aiken County Board of Education members recognized graduates of the District’s latest Leadership Academy cohorts during the special called meeting.
The District, which serves 25,000 students and supports over 3,300 employees, greatly values enhanced leadership capacity as an organizational quality. Meaningful learning opportunities which foster personal and professional growth are key to cultivating high-quality leaders and strengthening core culture.
“We want to actively engage our employees in the many positive aspects of leadership development so they may better serve others and build the collective leadership capacity of our organization,” commented Aiken County Superintendent Dr. Sean Alford, who served as the instructor for one of the two most recent Leadership Academy cohorts. “We also encourage our Leadership Academy graduates to apply the skills they learn in support of their local communities.”
Aiken County Public Schools Chief Officer of Administration, Mr. King Laurence, served as the instructor for the second Leadership Academy cohort which began during the 2017-18 school year.
The Leadership Academy curriculum is offered to employees as a deliberate effort to provide access to enhanced training opportunities. Members of the most recent class cohorts included school administrators and teacher leaders.
Anna Beth Harbeson’s goal as a Teacher Leader and aspiring administrator when she began the Leadership Academy cohort was to improve her instructional and mentoring capacity. Harbeson, now an assistant principal at East Aiken School of the Arts, feels she accomplished those goals, and more.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed being a member of the Leadership Academy cohort,” stated Harbeson. “My experiences and interactions with colleagues have helped improve my leadership capacity in many different ways. One of the items I took away from the cohort was the importance of learning to share my unique leadership story confidently with others. I am grateful to have been provided the opportunity to learn alongside fellow administrators and teacher leaders.”
Patrick Newsome had a similar experience. He served as the District’s 2017-18 Teacher of the Year and was an aspiring administrator at the outset of the Leadership Academy cohort, which Newsome viewed as a tremendous opportunity for blended learning alongside current administrators. Newsome now serves as assistant principal at Warrenville Elementary.
“The experience I gained from the cohort gave me a clear perspective on education as a whole. There are so many moving parts beyond a classroom, and this leadership academy prepared me for administration,” commented Newsome. “The friendships I made also gave me the confidence to succeed in my current position. The transition from teacher to administrator has been smooth, and I believe the cohort played a large part in that.”
Roxanne Hyer’s leadership role as an assistant principal when the Leadership Academy began changed when she was named as the new principal at Gloverville Elementary School. Hyer says the course provided an invaluable perspective she was able to put to work immediately in her new position.
“I often refer back to the class discussions and literature read throughout my time in the Leadership Academy,” stated Hyer. “The collaboration of my colleagues and knowledge acquired from this cohort has helped make my first year as a principal in the Gloverville community a successful one.”
Graduating members of the first cohort for the 2017-18 school year include the following administrators and teacher leaders:
Kimmerie Allen (Belvedere Elementary, Assistant Principal); Denise Broome (Human Resources, Classified Staffing Coordinator); Carrie Cooper (Hammond Hill Elementary, Teacher Leader); James Dziczkowski (Midland Valley High, Teacher Leader); Dustin Fowler (Midland Valley High, Teacher Leader); Anna Beth Harbeson (East Aiken School of the Arts, Assistant Principal); Tiffany Hall (Jackson Middle, Assistant Principal); Cynthia Hewitt (Aiken Elementary, Principal); Charity Holdman (Millbrook Elementary, Teacher Leader); John Hostetler (Midland Valley High, Teacher Leader); Roxanne Hyer (Gloverville Elementary, Principal); Clyde Jobes (Paul Knox Middle, Assistant Principal); Alecia Kinard (Chukker Creek Elementary, Teacher Leader); Christine Liner (Paul Knox Middle, Teacher Leader); Elizabeth McClearen (District Office, Human Resources); Paige McLemore (Jefferson Elementary, Reading Coach); Patrick Newsome (Warrenville Elementary, Assistant Principal); Danille Quattlebaum (Jackson Middle School, Teacher Leader); Kristin Risher (North Augusta High School, Assistant Principal); Dede Scott (Clearwater Elementary, Assistant Principal); Elizabeth Supan (Federal Programs, ESOL); LaToya Wise (Mossy Creek Elementary, Teacher Leader); and Tara Sanders-Davis (Corbett Middle School, Teacher Leader).
Graduating members of the second cohort for the 2017-18 school year include the following administrators and teacher leaders:
Beth Barlett (Aiken Elementary, Teacher Leader); Megan Bush (Hammond Hill Elementary, Teacher Leader); Latonia Evans (Leavelle McCampbell Middle, Assistant Principal); Sylvia Gay (North Augusta Middle, Assistant Principal); Lindsey Hager (North Augusta Elementary, Assistant Principal); Timothy Hamilton (Redcliffe Elementary, Teacher Leader); Jeffrey Harting (Kennedy Middle, Assistant Principal); Sharon Holloway (Jackson STEM Middle, Teacher Leader); Tabatha Hughes (Millbrook Elementary, Teacher Leader); Dana Jenkins (Midland Valley High, Teacher Leader); Steven Kolodizieizyck (Leavelle McCampbell, Assistant Principal); Nathan Lobaugh (Oakwood-Windsor Elementary, Assistant Principal); Cristine Raines (Chukker Creek Elementary, Teacher Leader); Casey Rogers (Langley-Bath-Clearwater Middle, Assistant Principal); John Ross (Jefferson Elementary, Teacher Leader); Clinton Saunders (Corbett Middle, Assistant Principal); Charidy Simon (Jefferson Elementary, Assistant Principal); Wilton Stone, Jr. (Kennedy Middle, Teacher Leader); CaraLynn Williams (Greendale Elementary), Teacher Leader); and Mark Wright (Ridge Spring-Monetta Middle, Teacher Leader).
The District’s next Leadership Academy cohort, consisting of directors and coordinators and school administrators met earlier this month.
####
LINK TO DISTRICT PRESS RELEASE: 2019 SECOND LEADERSHIP ACADEMY COHORT