Leading new elementary school excites principal
Sandra Black not only is moving into a new position but she also is moving into a new school.
Sandra Black is principal at the county's newest elementary school, River Ridge Elementary.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
Black recently accepted the post of principal at the new River Ridge Elementary School, which is set to open Aug. 3. The 32-year educator comes to River Ridge after a six-year stint as principal of Westmont Elementary.
"Taking this job was a bittersweet situation," Black said. "I love the Westmont community and the families over there, but it's not very often in a career of 30-plus years that you get to open a brand-new school. I thought it was a challenge that could be sort of a capstone to my career."
Black said she first developed an interest in teaching as a little girl, holding class with her dolls, and was inspired by her mother.
"My mother was a Sunday school teacher, so I thought it would be fun," she said. "She always seemed to enjoy teaching Sunday school class."
Black has lived and taught throughout the South. Before serving as principal of Westmont Elementary, she was an assistant principal at Martinez Elementary and a first-grade teacher at Brookwood Elementary.
She said she is looking forward to opening a new school.
"It's really going smoothly," she said. "The main thing is getting everything delivered. Then its up to the Columbia County maintenance staff to get it into classrooms."
Still, there are some drawbacks to getting a new school ready.
"As an administrator, the toughest part is not having the technology we're so used to having when we go back to school every year," she said. "But we're waiting on, and hopefully that will make things a little easier."
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