The Coweta County Board of Education approved two new principal positions for the 2007-08 school year Wednesday upon the recommendations of Superintendent Blake Bass.

Vince Bass was named the new principal of Evans Middle School, beginning in July, 2007. Bass, who is currently the principal of Atkinson Elementary School, will replace Dr. Walter Drake, who was earlier named the school system’s Coordinator of Facilities. Bass is a 17-year educator. He started his teaching career at Northside and Atkinson elementary schools teaching physical education, and coaching several sports at Newnan High School, including football, basketball and soccer.

In 1996 he was named assistant principal at Evans Middle School, and then assistant principal and athletic director at Northgate High School. In 2000 Bass became the principal of Madras Middle School, where he served until he became principal of Atkinson in 2002. Bass earned his Bachelor’s degree in education at the University of Alabama, his Master’s degree at the University of Southern Mississippi, his Masters in Educational Leadership from the State University of West Georgia, and his Specialist degree in Leadership from Samford University.

The Board also named Vern Mamon as the new principal of the Coweta County Night High School at the Central Educational Center. Superintendent Blake Bass said that Mamon’s position is going to have a number of expanded responsibilities. As principal, Mamon will be responsible for the CEC/Coweta County Night High School, the school system’s Summer School program (also based at CEC) and the Performance Learning Center (PLC, also based at CEC).

In addition to those duties, Mamon will be responsible for creating a technology magnet school for 8th-graders at CEC. The Central Educational Center is a charter school, meaning that it is a public school whose curriculum and structure is governed by a 5-year renewable charter which defines the school’s academic goals, curriculum, governance and standards.

CEC serves students from all three of Coweta County’s high schools. But “CEC’s charter also includes a component for 8th graders,” said Superintendent Bass, and Mamon is charged with establishing that program for the 2008-09 school year.

“One of the telling facts about CEC is that high school students who take classes there often don’t want to leave once they’ve started there. It is a very successful school, and we believe that a voluntary middle grades magnet program for 8th graders would be successful, too,” said Bass. “Mr. Mamon will be working with parents and students and CEC staff next year on establishing that program.”

Mamon, who is currently an assistant principal at Newnan High School, began working in schools after service in the U.S. Army. A 25–year educator, Mamon is a native of northern Louisiana. He taught in New Orleans public schools, and then in the Milwaukee public schools. He also taught at a technical and trade school in Milwaukee public schools and later served as an assistant principal. Mamon came to Coweta County in 1999 as an assistant principal at Newnan High School. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in education at Grambling State University, his Masters in education at the University of Wisconsin, and his Leadership Certification and Educational Specialist degrees from Troy State University.

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