With the new modified school year approaching, the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District has made two essential hires prior to its July 26 start date.
On Thursday, the SOCSD Board of Trustees officially hired Darein Spann as the new principal of Starkville High School. Spann previously served in the district as the principal of the technology, engineering and construction academic house at SHS, and he has been with SOCSD since 2018.
“I am excited to lead a team of excellent teachers and education at Starkville High School who celebrate learning,” Spann said in a press release. “Our overall goal is to ensure students are academically prepared to face a challenging world when they graduate from SHS. We will do that by supporting the whole child — emotionally, physically, and mentally — each day he or she comes to school, we look forward to an outstanding year where each child’s passion, purpose, and potential thrive as we celebrate learning.”
Spann assumes the position immediately, after former SHS principal Howard Savage resigned to take an assistant superintendent position in Pascagoula-Gautier School District.
Superintendent Tony McGee expressed his confidence in the educational veteran taking over the helm at SHS.
“Spann is a dynamic instructional leader with 18 years of experience in education,” McGee said. “… Dr. Spann fully understands the importance to building strong relationships that foster and support our students and teachers.”
The district also filled in the brand new role of the certified academic language therapist (CALT), which is a role specifically designed to help students with written language impairments such as dyslexia.
Kimberly Pugh joins SOCSD as the district’s first CALT, and she is bringing more than 30 years of experience in education with her. Pugh was a reading therapist at Sudduth Elementary from 2008 to 2012, and she has provided private dyslexia therapy to students since 2008 using the Mississippi College Dyslexia Therapy Program.
“I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to share my knowledge of an evidenced-based, multi-sensory language intervention to reach students who are struggling with reading,” Pugh said. “I look forward to supporting students and their families on this journey to become successful readers.”
The position was approved at the board’s June meeting, and the district intends to send 14 teachers within the SOCSD to become CALTs beginning in the fall. The position and sending 14 teachers will be covered by Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief II designation for the first year and will be phased into SOCSD’s budget the following years.
The board also approved three new assistant principals on Thursday: Gregory Washington at SHS, Ashley Parvin at Armstrong Junior High School and Gregory Brackett at Partnership Middle School.
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