Springdale's School of Innovation to have two principals next year

SPRINGDALE -- The Don Tyson School of Innovation will have two principals next school year, the School District announced Tuesday.

Shannon Tisher will move from her job as principal at Southwest Junior High School to principal for grades 9-12 at the School of Innovation. Anne Martfeld, assistant principal at the Innovation School, will be principal for grades 6-8. The two replace Joe Rollins, who was recently named director of support services for the district.

The school will double its number of principals just as it welcomes its first senior and sixth-grade classes, basically combining the typical middle and high school levels. Deputy Superintendent Jared Cleveland said the pair will be able to help parents and students with the combo. Tisher will make the decisions about the school's overall direction.

"It's fluid and it's a new system," said Cleveland, who oversees district personnel. "Of course, it's a charter school, and it's different, and we know that. So we're going to continue to learn as we grow."

The school is also about to physically expand, with a planned $35 million project to roughly double its size by fall 2020. Dirt work and construction could start before the end of the year and shouldn't disrupt the school, Cleveland said.

"We opened that building with half of it complete and half of it not," he added with a laugh.

The school is a conversion charter school, which means its run by the district.

The new principals have both worked in the district for more than a decade and said in written statements it is an honor to join the unusual school. The School of Innovation began with an eighth-grade class in 2014 and allows students to pursue subjects at their own pace and focus on their particular interests. Almost 800 were enrolled there this school year.

"Dr. Jim Rollins, the school board, the district leadership team, countless community partners and the school's faculty and staff have made the commitment to provide an unprecedented personalized and innovative learning experience for students, and I am ecstatic to be a part of this great work," Tisher wrote.

Superintendent Rollins also praised both women as leaders in the district committed to their students.

The district earlier this week announced a new Springdale High School principal to replace Pete Joenks, who's moving to Prairie Grove's district. Springdale still needs to fill the principal position at Har-Ber High School. Cleveland said that decision should come soon.

"As Dr. Rollins says all the time, we just have to be right," he said.

NW News on 05/23/2018


Sign up for breaking news
& daily updates delivered
right to your inbox.




Upcoming Events