Politics & Government

Hazelwood School District Board Members Sworn In, New Leadership Announced

Only incumbents filed to run for the HSD Board of Education, and those members were sworn in. As well a host of new principals and leaders were recently announced.

Hazelwood School District Board of Education incumbents Cheryl Latham and Carlton Thornton were sworn in at Tuesday's meeting.

Both board members took the oath of office. Following the swearing in, the board held elections for leadership positions on the board of education with the following results:

  • Cheryl Latham was re-elected president.
  • Brenda Youngblood was elected treasurer.
  • Carlton Thornton was re-elected vice-president.
  • Charles “Chuck” Woods was elected secretary.

The board recently approved several promotions and hires for the 2013-14 school year. Lisa Strauther and Jeff Haug have been named assistant superintendents.

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“I am pleased with the variety of experience that Dr. Strauther and Dr. Haug bring to the team,” said HSD Superintendent Grayling Tobias in a statement. “I look forward to working collaboratively with them in our efforts to improve academic achievement in HSD.”

Strauther has been the principal at Jamestown Elementary School since 2008. She previously served as interim principal at Jana Elementary School, as well as an elementary assistant principal. She has also taught first, second and third grades. She is a graduate of HSD.

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She will replace Ty McNichols, who has resigned to take the position of superintendent in the Normandy School District.

Haug has more than 13 years of educational experience and has served as the principal of Wright City Middle School since 2010. He previously served as the director of support services and principal in the Winfield School District. He served two years as the freshman class principal and two years as a social studies teacher at McCluer North High School. Haug will fill an assistant superintendent position that has been left open for the past two years. The position will be funded through attrition. HSD said it will not fill the school
improvement grant facilitator or the  professional development facilitator position.

Several district elementary schools will also have new leadership, according to the district:

  • Erik Melton has been chosen as the new principal for Garrett Elementary School. Melton has more than 10 years of experience in education, serving the past five years as the principal of Louisiana Elementary in the Louisiana R-II School District.
  • Evelyn Woods has been chosen as the principal for Grannemann Elementary School. Woods has more than 10 years of educational experience, serving the past three and a half years as a turnaround principal at Sigel Elementary School in St. Louis Public Schools.
  • Valerie Taylor has been chosen as the new principal for Jamestown Elementary School. Taylor has more than 25 years of experience in education, serving the past two and a half years as an instructional coach at Hazelwood Central High School.
  • Gerald Williams has been chosen as the new principal for Jury Elementary School. Williams has more than 10 years of educational experience, serving the past year and a half as the principal of the Monroe eMints Academy in St. Louis Public Schools.
  • Shanise Terrell has been chosen as the new principal for Keeven Elementary School. Terrell has more than 14 years of educational experience, currently serving as principal at Glasgow Elementary School in the Riverview Gardens School District.
  • Paul Alvord has been chosen as the new principal for Russell Elementary School. Alvord has more than 23 years of educational experience, serving the past year and a half as an assistant principal at Hazelwood Central Middle School. He previously spent three years as the president of the Hazelwood National Education Association.
  • Maxine Valdez has been chosen as the principal of Townsend Elementary School. Valdez has more than 31 years of educational experience, serving the past five years as the director of the HSD Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative.
  • John Koeneker has been chosen as the new principal of Walker Elementary School. Koeneker has nearly nine years of educational experience, serving the past year and a half as an assistant principal at Hillsboro Primary School.


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