Twelve Caddo Parish public schools start off the 2016-17 school year with new principals.

The new leaders were chosen following community meetings and surveys of parents and school staff, so everyone could participate in the selection process.

"It is essential to the success of this district for our schools to have the strongest leadership in place to guide our schools as we more forward in our vision to have every child prepared for college and career," said Caddo Schools Superintendent Lamar Goree. "The principals announced today are not only several veterans who know what it takes to enhance campuses, but also several new, first-time principals who bring an energy and enthusiasm to the role that we so desperately need. I am proud of each one of those leaders and excited for the foundation we are laying for a successful 2016-17 school year."

Here's the list of new principals and a brief description of each, courtesy of Caddo Schools:

Brandy Holcomb, A.C. Steere Elementary

For the past four years, Brandy Holcomb has served as assistant principal of Forest Hill Elementary. As part of the leadership team, Holcomb was instrumental in the school’s 2014 school performance growth of 16.5 points in a single year. She is a recipient of the District PTA Lifetime Achievement Award and a former Teacher of the Year for Summer Grove Elementary. Holcomb holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in educational leadership from LSU Shreveport. Additionally, Holcomb has served extensively in leading teacher training sessions across the district to enhance content knowledge and showcase proven strategies.

Beverly Cole, Alexander Learning Center

Beverly Cole is no doubt an avid cheerleader for her students and staff. Since 2013, Cole has served as the principal of Barret Paideia Academy where she worked diligently with staff to meet the needs of students from a variety of backgrounds. Along the way, she developed strategies to effectively partner with community groups while also identifying individualized student learning plans to improve academic performance. Cole will open the new Academic Learning Center this fall in a portion of the former Hillsdale Elementary facility. The Center will continue to meet the needs of medically fragile students.

Marjorie Manuel, Atkins Elementary

Marjorie Manuel knows school turnaround. For the past two years, Manuel has been instrumental in the work of the Transformation Zone where she has served as a transformation specialist working to improve mathematics education. Atkins will be Manuel’s first appointment into a principal position, however, her experience in academic content is extensive. Manuel has previously served as a master teacher under the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) model for Booker T. Washington High School in Caddo as well as Pelican All Saints High School in DeSoto Parish. Additionally, Manuel has served as a classroom teacher with experience in content areas including geometry, math intervention, engineering and physics. In 2011, Manuel was selected to represent Louisiana through an invitation from NBC to the White House and U.S. Department of Education.

Kristi Young, Booker T. Washington High School

Kristi Young has made a name for herself for her innovative and tireless drive to turnaround campuses. Now she is taking her experience and vision to Booker T. Washington High School where she plans to breathe new life into the historic school and make it a beacon of academic accolades. Over the past seven years, she has worked hand-in-hand with Green Oaks Performing Arts Academy Principal Marvin Alexander to transform the school from a fledgling high school to a school lauded statewide for its growth in graduation rates, ACT performance and students earning college credit. Included in her efforts, Young mentored and coached staff members using the framework of the nationally recognized Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) model. Additionally, she worked alongside staff members to create and implement individual graduation and learning plans for each child to ensure they graduated on time with the foundation they needed to be successful in college and career. In her time working with Alexander, Young and the Green Oaks team saw their school performance score rise from an ‘F’ ranking to a ‘C’ - the highest accountability rating every earned by the campus. The school improved every year Young was a member of the leadership team.

Renata Mahoney, Broadmoor Middle Laboratory School

With 21 years of experience in a variety of academic positions, Renata Mahoney is eager to begin a resurgence at Broadmoor Middle Laboratory School. Since 2014, Mahoney has served as an assistant principal at Fair Park High School helping to lead the turnaround efforts in the first years of the Transformation Zone. Mahoney’s expertise in academic standards coupled with sizable knowledge in using student data to drive instruction. Mahoney has worked with students from a variety of backgrounds and consistently implemented concepts which have pushed student success.

Dr. Grady Smith, Caddo Middle Career and Technology School

Dr. Grady Smith has spent the past two years working with the staff of Woodlawn Leadership Academy as an assistant principal. Smith will now begin the year in his first principal position within Caddo Parish, however, Smith brings wide-ranging experience from his time in Webster Parish where he served as a principal for five years. In that time, he oversaw the consolidation of Doyline High School to a prekindergarten through 12th grade facility. This required expansive knowledge in curriculum spanning elementary, middle and high school content areas. When Smith determined he wanted to play a role in school transformation in Caddo Parish, he became instrumental in implementing effective climate and culture strategies which dramatically lowered disciplinary incidents at Woodlawn from among the highest in Caddo Parish to some of the lowest in the region. Smith also re-envisioned ways of engaging the community and working with stakeholders to support turnaround efforts at the campus.

Tom Thomas, Herndon Magnet School

For the past eight years, Tom Thomas has served as assistant principal of administration at Herndon, which allowed him to oversee a variety of tasks including operational and academic supports to meet the needs of the kindergarten through eighth grade student population. Prior to his work at Herndon, Thomas worked as a classroom teacher at C.E. Byrd High School and Walnut Hill Elementary/Middle School. Thomas began his career in 1998 in Asuncion, Paraguay at Asuncion Christian Academy. Thomas brings to the position a love for Herndon and the parents and staff which make the campus home to Thomas and his family. In addition to classroom and administrative experience, Thomas also is an active member of the Louisiana Association of School Executives and successfully completed the Louisiana Educational Leader Induction Program.

Tellauance Graham, Huntington High School

Tellauance Graham is ready to take the reins of Raider Nation. Graham earned the title of 2016 Caddo Middle School Principal of the Year during his first year as principal of Caddo Middle Career and Technology. Forever at heart a science teacher, Graham earned a respected reputation in the community for his tireless efforts to improve science education at Caddo Middle Career and Technology - often stepping in to teach lessons and lead lab experiments while continuing his work as principal. Graham began his career in Caddo in 2002 after receiving his bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. In 2010, Graham earned his master’s degree in educational leadership and administration from Louisiana Tech University. In 2015, Graham was named a recipient of the Make a Difference award for his efforts to turn around CMCTS.

Billy Williams, Keithville Elementary/Middle School

Billy Williams is coming back to where his career in Caddo began. Williams first came to Caddo Schools in 1993 as a teacher at Keithville Elementary/Middle School. During that time, he also served as the school’s athletic director and interim assistant principal. By 2003, Williams took the opportunity to learn under legendary principal Albert Hardison of Walnut Hill Elementary/Middle School and jumped at the chance. From 2003 to 2012, Williams honed his craft in teaching and administration before earning his first principal position at Broadmoor Middle Laboratory School where he has served since 2012. Williams brings back to Keithville a passion for the K-8 learning environment and a desire to cultivate a strong school/community partnership.

Mike Irvin, North Caddo Elementary/Middle School

North Caddo Elementary/Middle School is a labor of love for Mike Irvin, the principal of Oil City Elementary/Middle for the past 20 years. Beginning in August, the students from the former Oil City and Vivian sites will combine into the new prekindergarten through eighth grade campus spearheaded by Irvin. Irvin has spent his career working to improve opportunities for students and North Caddo Elementary/Middle is the latest in a series of his efforts. Irvin was instrumental in putting Oil City on the national stage for its environmental science program which will continue at the new site. He also earned accolades for his work to ensure every teacher at his campus was Project Learning Tree certified and offering new experiences to students such as Oil City’s eighth grade Colorado trip to learn about climates and ecosystems. These efforts will continue at the new North Caddo site as Irvin works with the community to create a new campus serving the needs of the students of northern Caddo Parish.

William Fields, Sunset Acres Elementary

William Fields has made a name for himself in recent years for his efforts to improve outcomes for students in rural Union Parish. This fall Fields takes the helm at Sunset Acres Elementary, a fourth through sixth grade campus within the Transformation Zone. For the past five years, Fields has served as an elementary school principal in Union Parish where he oversaw Marion Elementary School and the newly consolidated Union Parish Elementary School. Fields’ vision is to support student success through quality teachers with a passion for changing lives. Since being named to the position, Fields has hit the ground running and has fully staffed Sunset Acres well before the school year begins -- the first time in more than a decade. Fields brings to the position leadership experience as well as 18 years of experience as a special education teacher.

Tyron Lacy, Caddo Virtual Academy

Tyron Lacy is making a name for himself as the first principal of Caddo Virtual Academy. The online high school will launch this fall with over 130 course offerings designed to provide individualized learning experiences tailored to students’ unique needs. Lacy’s move to the position is five years in the making as he has grown Caddo’s virtual offerings from the ground up. In 2011, Lacy was tapped to pilot the district’s first virtual platform at Southwood High School. The results led to full implementation of the model districtwide with a focus on credit recovery and acceleration. During his tenure in the role as Caddo’s virtual learning district contact, Lacy became a trusted source not only at a district level, but also statewide for his thorough understanding of online platforms as a means of student engagement. Lacy brings six years of experience as an assistant principal at Southwood High School, working alongside principal Jeff Roberts to improve the campus from the brink of failure to an estimated ranking of a ‘B’ in school performance data. Lacy has served with Caddo Schools since 2004 when he began as a science teacher to provide rigorous and hands-on lessons designed to engage and inspire students.

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