Friday, May 23, 2003

New principals for Fulton schools

The Fulton County Board of Education announced four new principals for schools in South Fulton County.

Telana Hicks, currently an elementary school principal in Compton, Calif., was hired as the new Gullatt Elementary School principal. She replaces current principal Florence Bennett, who is retiring at the end of the school year.

Hicks brings more than 23 years of teaching and administrative experience to her new position at Gullatt. In addition to her school experience, she has served as a curriculum specialist for the Compton Unified School District and has taught at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and at the University of Phoenix.

Ronald Taylor, director of Teacher Recruitment with New Orleans Public Schools, will replace principal Anita Willingham at McNair Middle School next school year.

Taylor has more than 26 years of experience in education at the pre-school, elementary, middle, and high school levels.

Prior to becoming a New Orleans' recruitment director in 2001, he was a high school principal for eight years.

Darryl Felker, assistant principal at Brookview Elementary, has been named principal of Mount Olive Elementary School. He replaces former principal Jonathan Straughn.

Felker has been a teacher and an administrator since 1994. He taught in the Atlanta Public School system for seven years, beginning as a fifth grade teacher and as a curriculum support teacher. In 2000, he became assistant principal at Brookview Elementary School in Fulton County. This is his first position as school principal.

Emily Massey, assistant principal at Bethune Elementary, has been named principal at Seaborn Lee Elementary School. She replaces Rebecca Cabine, who will become assistant principal at Paul D. West Middle School.

Massey, a Fulton County teacher and administrator since 1993, began as a science teacher at Woodland Middle School. In 1998, she moved to Mimosa Elementary School as assistant principal, and in 2001, became assistant principal at Bethune. This is her first position as school principal.