CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) - During a special meeting of the Champaign Unit 4 Board of Education on Thursday night, two new principals and two new deans of students were selected to assume their new roles.
The new principal of Edison Middle School is Dr. Cynthia Watson. She holds a Bachelor of Science in History, with a minor in Secondary Education, from the University of Urbana-Champaign. Additionally, she earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Marian University and a Doctorate in Education with a focus on Educational Leadership from the University of Illinois Chicago.
Dr. Watson's goal is to foster a strong partnership between the community and the school.
"We really really want to bridge the gap between the school and the home. And so just making sure, like we are working with the families to think about some of the things that they want to see happening in the school building and hosting those events and making sure that we're also going out into the community and being a part of the the community and going to community events as well, as opposed to parents just always having to come into the school," said Watson.
Cessily Thomas has been appointed as the new Principal of Booker T. Washington STEM Academy. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Language, along with a Spanish Teacher Licensure, and a Master of Science in Educational Leadership, both of which she earned from Eastern Illinois University.
Thomas is excited about her selection and appreciates the support she has received from the community during this transition period.
"It's just so overwhelming to know that my community supports me, literally in everything that I do. And so I just really appreciate them. And I cannot do anything that I do, or that I've done or even that I will do in the future without their support. So I'm just grateful," said Thomas.
The new Dean of Students for Franklin STEAM Academy is Benjamin Truong. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education with a focus on Social Sciences from Saint Xavier University in Chicago, Illinois. Truong will begin his term on July 25, 2025.
Janelle Wright has been selected as the new Dean of Students at Centennial High. She served in the United States Air Force from July 1988 to July 2012. Wright holds a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Education from Wayland Baptist University and a Master of Arts in Human Resources Management from Webster University. Additionally, she has a Master of Education in Educational Studies and obtained her principal licensure from McKendree University. Wright will also begin her term on July 25, 2025.
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