July 12, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
A year after being named assistant principal at DeKalb Middle School, Teresa Jones is moving up.
During Thursday night’s regular monthly meeting, Director of Schools Patrick Cripps included on his monthly personnel report to the Board of Education that Jones is the new principal at DeKalb Middle School succeeding Caleb Shehane who has resigned.
Jones has just finished up her first year as assistant principal. Before that she served 20 years as a seventh-grade science teacher at DeKalb Middle School.
Teresa started her teaching career in 2002 after graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Tech. During the pandemic in 2020, Jones decided to obtain a master’s degree in Instructional Leadership. Teresa was also chosen as Teacher of the Year for DMS and at the district level in 2020.
Meanwhile, those employed by Director Cripps since the last Board of Education meeting are as follows:
Jessica Leiser, Bookkeeper at DeKalb West School.
Hannah Bratten, Music Teacher, DeKalb Middle & DeKalb West School
Sydney Simmonds, Kindergarten teacher at Smithville Elementary School
Andrew Christian, teacher at Smithville Elementary School
Stephanie Majors, teacher at Smithville Elementary School
Brian Smith, teacher at Smithville Elementary School
Terri Kilgore, Special Education Secretary
Elizabeth James, teacher at Smithville Elementary School
Brandi O’Conner. Educational Assistant at Smithville Elementary School
Hannah Culwell, teacher at Northside Elementary School
Jennifer Sykes, teacher at DeKalb Middle School
Leave of Absence
Crystal Barnes, leave as requested
Transferred
Teresa Jones, from Assistant Principal to Principal at DeKalb Middle School
Max Patterson, Band Director
Shelia McMillen, from Special Education Secretary to teacher at DeKalb West School
Taylor Chapman, from Educational Assistant to teacher at Northside Elementary School
Brandi Womack, Bookkeeper to Educational Assistant
Resignation/Retirement
Brooklyn Shirah, gifted teacher, resigned, County-Wide
Tiffany Bjorge, Educational Assistant, resigned at Northside Elementary School
Ryan Childers, resigned, Maintenance County-Wide
Sarah Storey, teacher, resigned at Northside Elementary School
Kayla Randolph. Educational Assistant, resigned at DeKalb West School
Victoria Stanley, teacher, resigned at Smithville Elementary School
Emily Harville, teacher, resigned at Smithville Elementary School
Caleb Shehane, Principal, resigned at DeKalb Middle School.
Meanwhile, DCHS educator Barbara Weller was granted tenure by the board during Thursday night’s meeting.
In other business, the Board voted to change the monthly meeting times from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m. and the workshops from 6 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the second Thursday night of each month starting in August at the Ernest Ray Education Center.