DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Following
the departure of former Darlington High School (DHS) Principal Dr. Greg
Harrison for another professional opportunity, the district has named
DHS Lead Assistant Principal Cortney Gehrke as the school’s interim
principal.
Gehrke began working for the DCSD in
2005 as an English teacher at Lamar High School. She also taught and
worked as an administrator at Spaulding Middle School and Hartsville
Middle School. She holds a Master of Education in Educational
Leadership from the American College of Education and a Bachelor of Arts
in English with Secondary Certification from the College of Charleston.
The
district also announced that Kacy Woodham Keels will be the district’s
new Director of Early Childhood Education. In her position, Keels will
supervise the development, organization, implementation, coordination
and evaluation of early childhood instructional programs to ensure that
all students meet or exceed state and national academic expectations.
Keels
previously worked for the DCSD during the 2012-13 school year, when she
was named Thornwell School for the Arts’ 2013 Teacher of the Year. She
has also served in other school districts and schools as a reading
interventionist, literacy consultant and first grade teacher. She most
recently worked as a literacy coach at McBee Elementary School in
Chesterfield County. She holds a Master of Education in Language and
Literacy and a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education from the
University of South Carolina.
The district
further announced that C. Matthew Ferguson, the district’s former
coordinator for K-12 English/Language Arts (ELA), Social Studies and
early childhood, will become the new Director of Personnel. Ferguson
will develop and manage screening, recruitment, retention, and
employment evaluation practices. He will assist in all facets of the
district’s Human Resources domain.
Ferguson
began working for the DCSD in 2008 as an English teacher and an Adult
Education site coordinator. He has also served as the director of the
Darlington Summer Academic Program, ELA coordinating teacher and Title 1
coordinator. He holds a Juris Doctor from the Charlotte School of Law,
a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the American
College of Education, a Master of Education in Curriculum and
Instruction from Lesley University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political
Science and English Education from Coker College.
“All
three of these individuals bring unique and welcome skills sets to
their positions. We are fortunate to have their leadership in our
district and I look forward to seeing what they accomplishes in their
roles,” said Dr. Eddie Ingram, DCSD superintendent.