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Biggs leaves
for Clarke Co.
RCES must fill
assistant principal,
guidance slots
By SHARON KILPATRICK
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
Mary Ann Biggs, the assistant principal at Rappahannock Elementary School, announced last week that she will leave Rappahannock to accept the position of principal of Johnson Williams Middle School in Clarke County.
“The hardest part of making the decision is leaving here,” Ms Biggs said. “This has been such a positive place to work. There are things here I am worried about not finding somewhere else; the community support, the central office support, and working as a team with Bemie (Principal Bernard Chesshir).”
Ms Biggs will not have an assistant principal in her new school.
“There are not that many opportunities for women,” Ms Biggs continued. “If there had been an opening here, I never would have looked elsewhere. It’s scary, but I see it as an opportunity. Once I made the decision, I do feel excited about it.”
She said she appreciated the support she has received for her decision from Mr. Chesshir and School Superintendent David Gangel.
Ms Biggs came to Rappahannock in 1970 as an English teacher. She left to teach in Winchester and worked on a masters degree in counselling. She returned to work as a guidance counsellor at the high school and moved over to take up the position of assistant principal at the elementary school two years ago. Meanwhile she had started college work to become endorsed in administration and completed that work in her current position.
Besides serving as assistant principal, Ms Biggs has also been serving about half time as a guidance counselor at the elementary school. The school is required to have slightly more than one full-time guidance counselor. Candy Lamma has also been working part time at the elementary school in guidance.
With the loss of Ms Biggs, the school division will have to find someone to fill in as a part-time guidance counselor as well as find a new assistant principal.
DiyGangel said tlje position of assistant principal has been advertised, and that he is looking both within the system and outside it for candidates. He said he hopes to have candidates for the School Board to review at the June 12 meeting.
“We are looking at all our options,” Dr. Gangel said. “I don’t think we are going to find a lot of people with both guidance and administration endorsements.” If there are no qualified applicants endorsed in both areas, the school division will try to fill the assistant principal position first and then look at the guidance situation.
About Ms Biggs decision to leave, Dr. Gangel said, “When you have strong competent people that provide leadership, those people are in demand in every school division. That’s the price you pay. I’d love to have Mary Ann stay here, but she needs to go in the direction she
See BIGGS, p. 14
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