ST. GEORGE — Some students will be greeted by new principals on Thursday, the first day of school in Washington County. Parents and students will be able to meet the new leaders of four schools within the Washington County School District.
Out of the 28 elementary schools, 10 intermediate, seven middle schools and nine high schools within the school district, four schools will have new principals, and two are transfers from within the district.
The retention rate of principals within the Washington County School District is above the national average. According to a study done by the Learning Policy Institute, the national average tenure of principals in their schools was four years with 35 percent of principals being at their school for less than two years, and only 11 percent of principals being at their school for 10 years or more.
According to another study released in November by The Regional Educational Laboratory at WestEd, the Washington County School District retains 70% of its principals, which is the third highest in the state behind Sevier County (88.9%) and Wasatch County (83.3%). This study was based on four years, 2016-2020.
The largest district in Utah, Salt Lake County, was in the median range. During the four years of the study, they locked in 57.2% of their individual school leaders. However, they employ 215 principals compared with Washington and Iron Counties,with 54 combined.
Nearby Iron County School District had a 64.3% retention rate. The nearby Clark County School District in Southern Nevada had a 69.9% retention rate for their principals, buth this was in contrast compared to their very high teacher turnover rate.
Unfortunately for bordering Mohave County, Arizona, their rate of maintaining principals was extremely low, leaving them sitting at 48.5%. You can see these data statistics and findings by clicking here.
Reasons for Leaving
The reasons for leaving their positions by principals were sorted into five main explanations by the Learning Policy Institute.
- Inadequate preparation and professional development
- Poor working conditions
- Insufficient salaries
- Lack of decision-making authority
- High-stakes accountability policies
Utah continues to be among the highest in the nation for retention of school principals, but even they admit there still is much to do to make the numbers even better, with the capability to enshrine the stats to the top in the nation.
Meet the New Faces
Brad Christensen – Washington Fields Intermediate
Brad Christensen was approved to transfer from Hurricane Intermediate where he was principal to Washington Fields Intermediate by the district board on July 20. He is replacing Bob Sonju, who has announced his retirement. Sonju will serve as a principal leader and mentor within the district until his retirement in October.
Christensen has been an educator for over 30 years as a teacher, coach, consultant, assistant principal, and principal. He was recognized as the Assistant Principal of the Year for the State of Utah in 2004 and spent 16 years as principal of Hurricane Intermediate.
His wife, Barb, also teaches and has taught every elementary grade and spent several years teaching Chinese dual immersion. Christensen and his wife have three kids. Their son is a full-time intelligence officer with the Air National Guard, focusing on Eastern European languages. His son has a wife who is a pharmacy tech and is the parents of a wonderful 8-month-old grandson.
His middle daughter just moved to Texas, where her husband works in construction management. That middle daughter will start her first year teaching 5th grade next week. His youngest daughter just got her associate’s degree and is continuing her studies to become an elementary/special needs teacher.
In his free time, Christensen likes to travel and spend time outside hiking and doing sports. While in college, he played football and sang in concert and show choirs. His family still performs together.
Terri Howell – Hurricane Intermediate
The board approved the selection of Terri Howell as the new principal of Hurricane Intermediate School to replace Christensen.
Her professional occupation spans more than two decades of educating children. Howell started her educational career at Dixie High, teaching U.S. History. After teaching, she received her media endorsement and started at Snow Canyon Middle School in the library. She later received her master’s in education administration. She took a “teacher on special assignment” position at Desert Hills High, which morphed into the position of athletic director and assistant principal.
Howell grew up as an Air Force “brat,” living and visiting many different countries. She was born in Germany and has lived in the Philippines, England, North Dakota, and Alabama. She finally settled in Florida.
Upon receiving a scholarship to Utah State University, she met her husband, Jonathan Howell who shared her love of history and education. She has three sons, three daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren. She has a love of travel, a love for the beach, and a deep love for baseball. Howell has eaten peanuts and cracker jacks at 13 Major League Baseball Parks, including her favorite, Fenway Park. She is a big Red Sox fan.
She said, “You might find me watching the Red Sox, enjoying the sun on the beach or playing with her Grandchildren!”
Melissa Lane – Majestic Fields Elementary
Transferring from Bloomington Elementary to be principal of Majestic Fields Elementary is Melissa Lane. She replaces Travis Wilstead, who was promoted to the district Dual Immersion Coordinator.
Lane has worked in the District for 28 years. She was a classroom teacher for 15 years and a learning coach for six. This is her eighth year as a principal, the past seven as principal of Bloomington Elementary.
Lane was born and raised in Beaver, Utah, and went to school at Southern Utah University, where she received her bachelor’s, master’s and administrative certificate.
She is married to Jay Lane with two daughters, one granddaughter and one grandson.
In the little bit of free time she said she has, Lane said she likes to spend time with family and friends, reading, and riding horses.
Lane has the following goals for the coming school year, which includes:
- Use student data to drive instruction
- Building a school culture of excellence
- Supporting teachers in high-quality and engaging classroom instruction.
- Memorize all 721 students’ names.
Susan Moore – Bloomington Elementary
Susan Moore is the new principal of Bloomington Elementary. She will replace Melissa Lane, who transferred to Majestic Fields Elementary in Washington.
Moore has lived in St. George now for 30 years and has been with WCSD for that amount of time. She was a classroom teacher for 25 years, teaching at Santa Clara and Red Mountain Elementary. After that, Moore was the Learning Coach at Sunset Elementary for three years. After that, she moved to the district office as the Title One 2nd Grade Specialist.
Her leadership positions have included Learning Coach at Sunset Elementary, Title One 2nd-Grade Level Specialist, and Utah State Office of Education and WCSD Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling Facilitator.
She was born and raised in Orem, Utah. After high school, Susan attended BYU-Hawaii and BYU-Provo, where she received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She is married with one son and a daughter-in-law.
She loves to travel, especially by taking cruises.
Her goals are to be a strong instructional leader for the school, share with her staff the latest teaching strategies to fill up their tool boxes and facilitate their training in LETRS. She plans to continue to build up a strong culture of community and academic excellence.
The principals of individual schools are below:
Click here for elementary schools
Click here for intermediate schools
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