New Principal Chosen For Bentonville's Fulbright Junior High

Webber
Webber

BENTONVILLE -- Fulbright Junior High School's next principal will be a familiar face.

Bradley Webber, the school's assistant principal, will ascend to the top position starting July 1. This is his first year as an assistant principal. He previously was an English teacher for five years at Washington Junior High School.

The School Board made Webber's hiring official Monday.

"It's a tremendous honor and incredibly humbling," Webber said. "I've been extremely excited about the number of opportunities we've had this year to start what I believe to be a tradition of excellence."

Fulbright opened in August with Kathy Murry, a longtime administrator in the School District, as principal. Murry died in January. Jack Loyd, an assistant principal at Bentonville High, moved to Fulbright for the rest of the school year to serve as interim principal.

Webber said he admired Murry in part because of her willingness to listen to everybody as well as her willingness to take risks -- two traits he hopes to carry on as principal.

"She was always willing to look into new, innovative ways to challenge our students," he said.

Webber graduated from John Brown University in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in English. He earned a master's degree in secondary education curriculum and instruction from Arkansas State University. His wife, Rissa Webber, is a fourth-grade teacher at R.E. Baker Elementary School.

The School District had about 15 applications for the principal's job, said Galen Havner, human resources director.

Also on Monday, the board approved hiring a new principal for Sugar Creek Elementary School. Matthew Cook, principal of Watson Primary School in Huntsville, will replace Pam Blair, who resigned earlier this school year.

Cook has worked in education for nine years. He began his career in Gravette and also worked at Greer Lingle Middle School in Rogers.

NW News on 04/23/2014

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