Expect to see a few new faces in your school principal's office this year. And we mean behind the desk.
With a wave of retirements among Pasco County school leadership creating a ripple of openings and faculty shuffles, the School Board this summer approved the following principal hires:
Margie Polen has been promoted from assistant principal of Pine View Elementary to become interim principal at Shady Hills Elementary, pending completion of a principal training program when she will be eligible to be certified as a full principal. Polen began teaching in Pasco County in 1948 at Richey Elementary. Since then, she has taught at Centennial, Deer Park and Sanders elementary schools. In 1999, Polen became a technology specialist at Shady Hills and soon after was promoted to assistant principal there. She's worked at Pine View since 2003.
Angela Stone takes the reigns of Hudson High School after serving as assistant principal at Zephyrhills High, where she began in 1994 as a science teacher before being promoted three years later to assistant principal. Stone has a bachelor's degree in science from the University of Tennessee and received her master's degree in administration from the University of Tennessee.
Jim Michaels rejoins River Ridge High, where he served as assistant principal for close to four years before transferring to Mitchell High in 2000. A former physical education teacher, Michaels spent the past year as principal over Schwettman Education Center.
Julie Perez has been named principal at Shepherd's Christian Academy in New Port Richey. Perez, who graduated from Houston Baptist Academy, has seven years' teaching experience and has served at the academy since its inception.
