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Steve Underwood Names Oolitic Middle School Principal

Last updated on Saturday, June 16, 2012

(BEDFORD) - Leadership changes continue for the North Lawrence school system, with new faces moving into principals’ offices at two more schools.

Mke Lewis, of the Times-Mail reports, The NL board Thursday accepted the retirement of Larry Lafferty, Oolitic Middle School principal, who had more than 40 years of experience with local schools. And the board approved moving Steve Underwood, an assistant principal at Bedford North Lawrence High School, into Lafferty's former position.

The board also named Christy Wintczak as principal at Parkview Primary School. Wintczak teaches kindergarten at Parkview. She will succeed the retiring Steve Ray.
The changes mean eight NL schools will have new principals this year. The other six were approved earlier this year.

Thursday's two principal moves came in a group of 19 personnel transfers within the school corporation's staff. All 19 were taken up in one motion and vote, which is the school board's custom. The vote was 4-2. There was no discussion. Brad Flinn, Jeff Lambrecht, Scott Gillespie and Donnie Branham voted in favor, while Gary Holmes and Wendell Nikirk voted against. Trisha O'Rourke was absent.

After the meeting, NL Superintendent Dennis Turner said Underwood and Wintczak are veteran educators.

Underwood, he said, was a teacher and assistant principal in the Mitchell schools before coming to the North Lawrence system. Underwood's work at BNL has included a range of duties, Turner said, from discipline and attendance to "general school management."

He said the school system plans to fill the now-open assistant principalship at BNL.
Wintczak has taught at Shawswick, Springville and Parkview Primary schools within the NL system, Turner said. Her emphasis has been working with students in the first few grades, the superintendent added, noting that Parkview Primary serves students in kindergarten and grades one and two.

The other six principal changes made earlier include:

* Roger Dean at BNL. He had held the top post at Shawswick Middle School. David Beaver, current BNL building manager, will return to his previous job as an assistant principal.

* Jim Pentzer to replace Dean at Shawswick Middle School, moving from the principal's office at Shawswick Elementary School.

* Aaron Ritter to replace Pentzer at Shawswick Elementary, moving from a language arts teaching position at Bedford Middle School.

* Laura Charles at Springville Elementary School. Charles, who had been principal at Stalker Elementary School, will succeed the retiring Robert Stipp at Springville.

* Kelly Storms at Stalker Elementary School, replacing Charles. Storms had been an assistant principal at BMS.

* Amanda May at Parkview Intermediate School. She replaces Mark Vice, who will move into a new position for a NLCS director of learning, instruction and curriculum assessment. May had been assistant principal at Burris Elementary School in Mitchell.

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