Posted Friday, August 9, 2019
The Walton Central School District has all of its administrative pieces in place and is gearing up for the 2019-20 school year.
The changes include:
- Amanda Hoover as the new principal at Townsend Elementary ;
- Arthur Loomis as the new high school principal;
- Adam Hoover continuing as the permanent principal in the middle school;
- Ryan Ashlaw as a teacher on special assignment, serving as the dean of students.
A letter, from Interim Superintendent Larry Thomas, explains the moves more in-depth. You can read it below, or by clicking here.
The summer is gliding by at an ever increasing pace. We who are here during the summer months have been concentrating on a number of projects, one of the most important which is to solidify our instructional leadership team. As we move through the 2019-20 academic year, I will be remaining as Interim Superintendent, mentoring that leadership team as they gain experience and further stabilize our educational environment.
The team is now complete, and you may count on them to provide caring, equitable, and quality service to Walton’s students and community.
• Mrs. Amanda Hoover has assumed the elementary principalship. Amanda is a seasoned administrator, having begun her career in Walton and sharpened her skills at the DCMO BOCES.
• Mr. Arthur Loomis will take on the mantle of high school principal. He spent last year completing his administrative degree under the tutelage of Interim Principal Mark Dupra. Art is now ready to help build on the successes of our capable high school staff.
• Continuing at the helm of the middle school is Mr. Adam Hoover, who came to our rescue mid-year when our interim, Tim McMullen, departed. Adam admirably met our needs, so it was easy asking him to remain in that position.
• Completing the team is our newest member, Mr. Ryan Ashlaw. Mr. Ashlaw has taught art in Walton for five years. He will now become a Teacher on Special Assignment with a position as Dean of Students. This is a step similar to the one taken by Mr. Loomis last year, and we continue to have need in this key student management area as Mr. Loomis moves to the high school principalship.
Also, returning as leaders are Mrs. Tara Sackett as Chair of the CSE (Committee on Special Education) and Mr. Justin Preston as Athletic Director. As with Adam Hoover, both of these individuals bravely and professionally stepped forward to assist the district last year, and did so extremely well. They join Mrs. Jane O’Shea, who has been instrumental in helping us address issues that the State Education Department brought to our attention two years ago.
In related action, there were staff who, at the end of the school year, moved out of the area and left our organization. The leaders mentioned earlier have been interviewing replacement staff with great success. As of this writing we are not yet finished with the task, but we are excited about the talent that we have hired so far. You will learn more about them as we near our official start in September.
As I mentioned earlier, the summer is sweeping by! It has been a refreshing time. I look forward to growing with this eager squad of energetic professionals. We are focusing on providing the best educational experience possible for all.
Sincerely,
Larry Thomas
Interim Superintendent