Muscogee County superintendent recommends new principal for this Columbus school
A Columbus school will have a new principal if the Muscogee County School Board approves the superintendent’s recommendation next week.
Jennifer Sappington is superintendent David Lewis’ choice to replace Barrie Carke as principal of Midland Middle School, according to the board’s agenda.
Sappington is the school’s assistant principal. Clarke submitted his retirement letter last summer, Lewis told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email Monday. His retirement date is Nov. 22.
In his four years as Midland’s principal, Clarke led the school’s improvement on the state’s report card, called the College & Career Ready Performance Index, from a D to a C, including a 4.9-point increase to 78 this past year.
“I appreciate Dr. Clarke’s service and dedication to our district and wish him well in his retirement,” Lewis said.
Sappington, according to the agenda, has been an educator for 16 years. She taught social studies at Hardaway and Northside high schools and Aaron Cohn Middle School. She became academic dean at Midland in August 2014. After being appointed as the shared assistant principal between Carver and Shaw high schools in October 2015, she returned to Midland as assistant principal in July 2016.
“First and foremost, Mrs. Sappington has demonstrated effective leadership in her various roles in our district and is prepared to assume this position,” Lewis said. “Additionally, being a member of the current Midland Middle leadership team, Mrs. Sappington would provide continuity that I feel is beneficial with this mid-year leadership change.”
This story was originally published November 11, 2019 at 12:50 PM.
