Assistant named as Dearing principal

THOMSON - Linda Grisham's new career path only requires her to move a few offices down the hall.

That's because Mrs. Grisham, the current Assistant Principal at Dearing Elementary, has been named Principal of the school for the 2003-2004 school year. The announcement was made Monday at a called McDuffie County Board of Education meeting.

"It's a wonderful school and a wonderful community," said Mrs. Grisham of her promotion. "I feel comfortable knowing that the entire staff is behind me. I'm very passionate about the community, and I love Dearing Elementary."

Mrs. Grisham is the wife of McDuffie County Schools Superintendent Ed Grisham. However board officials have established the school system's internal structure so that Mrs. Grisham will report directly to the board, instead of to her husband. This measure was enacted so as to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.

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Darrell Wells, the current principal at Dearing Elementary, thinks that Mrs. Grisham is the perfect choice for the position. Wells is retiring at the end of the school year,

"She's eminently qualified," he said. "I've worked with Mrs. Grisham for six years. She knows curriculum, knows administrative services, knows the community, and is just the perfect person for this particular position at this time."

Linda Grisham has more than 30 years of experience in education, including several as a teacher when she and her husband lived in Mississippi. She was recently named the Georgia Assistant Principal of the Year, has been named school system Teacher of the Year in Mississippi, and has been a Golden Apple recipient. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate degree from Georgia Southern University.

Mrs. Grisham was interviewed and evaluated by a group that included parents, teachers, and local business leaders, but did not include her husband. He thinks Mrs. Grisham is a perfect fit for Dearing Elementary.

"She's a very dynamic person," he said. "She has become very focused on reading instruction during the past seven or eight years, and their reading scores at Dearing have gone up considerably in recent years and I know she's had some impact in that."

The Grishams have worked together often during their careers in education: Mrs. Grisham began as a teacher in a Mississippi school where Dr. Grisham was Principal.