Assistant Principals Chosen For Schools

SEBRING - Two elementary schools will have new assistant principals during the upcoming school year.

Melissa Blackman will take over as assistant principal of Woodlawn Elementary and Carla Ball will be assistant principal at Memorial Elementary.

Blackman, who currently works as a behavior specialist in the Exceptional Student Education department at Highlands County School Board office, is excited to work with the staff at Woodlawn.

"I have had the privilege of getting to know the staff there, and they are a wonderful group,"

Blackman said. "They are very student-focused and I am excited about being a part of that group."
Blackman has worked with the district for 15 years, as a paraprofessional, classroom teacher and now as an ESE specialist.

Laura Waldon, Woodlawn's current assistant principal, has been promoted to principal of Fred Wild Elementary. Ruby Handley, current principal at Fred Wild, will be principal of Memorial Elementary.

Joining Handley at the new elementary school, scheduled to open in August, will be Ball, who is currently the assistant principal at Ben Hill Griffin Elementary School with Polk County School District in Frostproof.

Ball, who lives in Avon Park, said she is excited to work closer to home and become part of the Highlands County school district at the new school.

"I think this will be a very educational experience for me, being on the ground floor of a new school," Ball said. "Memorial Elementary will become a family, with the students, parents and staff, and I look forward to helping build that environment."

Ball has been in education for 10 years, seven years as a classroom teacher and three years in administration.