By Nicole Thomas
The Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Board of Trustees has approved two administrative changes for the 2017-2018 school year in an effort to maximize the strengths of the District’s administrative team as it prepares for the opening of The Partnership School.
Overstreet Principal Julie Kennedy and Armstrong Middle School Principal Tim Bourne are rotating positions.
Kennedy is moving to AMS where she will also oversee the transition of sixth and seventh grade students and teachers to The Partnership School which is currently under construction on the campus of Mississippi State University and expected to open in January 2019.
Bourne, who began his career in the District along with Kennedy at AMS, will lead Overstreet as principal of the District’s fifth grade school, a position he previously held for six years when fifth grade was housed at Henderson Elementary School.
“Principals Bourne and Kennedy are veteran educators with more than 25 years of administrative experience between them,” said SOCSD incoming Supt. Eddie Peasant. “Their strengths as administrators make them uniquely qualified for these positions.”
“Mrs. Kennedy is a proven school leader with a knowledge and understanding of the middle grades,” said Peasant. “She’s also demonstrated how school culture and climate can significantly impact a school environment as she successfully moved fifth grade from a completely renovated building into the oldest building in the District last summer. Overstreet’s success at every level is a reflection of Mrs. Kennedy’s leadership, and I expect that to translate to AMS and The Partnership School.”
“Mr. Bourne is widely-recognized across the District for his personal commitment to building strong relationships that foster and support our students and teachers,” said Peasant. “The Partnership School also gives us the opportunity to examine and reimagine how we are preparing our fifth grade students for middle school, and Mr. Bourne’s experience at both levels is a tremendous asset to us.”
Kennedy and Bourne began their careers in the SOCSD as teachers at AMS in 2001. They both served as assistant principals together at AMS before moving into lead administrator roles. Most recently, they have collaborated with district and university leaders in the design of The Partnership School and how it can support and facilitate instruction in all aspects of middle school.
“The opening of The Partnership School will require detailed planning, and the scope of the preparations is extensive,” said Peasant. “Our school district, our university and our state have invested a lot of resources in this partnership, and it is important for us to assemble the team that will share the decision-making responsibilities to maximize this incredible opportunity for our school district. We want to be fully-prepared for innovative teaching and learning experiences to begin immediately when the doors of The Partnership School open.”
The school board approved the changes during its June board meeting.
The principals will assume their new duties and responsibilities at their respective schools as soon as possible in preparation for the new school year.