Staff reports
BEAUFORT – Veteran administrators have been selected to lead four Beaufort County School District (BCSD) schools.
At Whale Branch Early College High School, Sonji Leach, Ph.D., current assistant principal at Beaufort High School, replaces Davina Coleman, who has accepted a corporate position outside of the district.
Leach’s administrative experience includes principal roles in Georgia at Swainsboro High School and Southwest Middle School. She also held interim principal roles at Alfred Ely Beach High School in Savannah and at Beaufort High School. Additional administrative positions held in Columbia, include serving as Senior Executive Administrator at Allen University and Coordinator of Administrative Services for Richland County School District.
Leach additionally held the role of Director of School Improvement in the Savannah-Chatham County public school system. She holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Argosy University in Atlanta, an educational specialist degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Lincoln Memorial University, and a master’s degree in Middle Grades Education from Georgia Southern University.
At Bluffton Middle School, Keith Stewart, current assistant principal at Bluffton Middle School, replaces Matt Hall, who accepted the principal position at Bluffton High School last month.
Stewart began his educational career as a physical education teacher at Manning High School in the Clarendon School District. He went on to hold this role in Beaufort County at Whale Branch Elementary School, H.E. McCracken Middle School, and May River High School where he also held the role of Department Chair. He has additionally served in assistant principal roles at Bluffton Middle School and May River High School.
Stewart holds a master’s degree in Educational Administration from the University of South Carolina.
At Broad River Elementary School, Jamie Allen, current principal of Whale Branch Middle School replaces Constance Goodwine-Lewis who has accepted the principal position at St. Helena Elementary School. Allen has 18 years of educational experience, all with the BCSD.
Allen has a strong connection to Broad River Elementary as she started her education career there in 2006 as a third-grade teacher and went on to serve as a literacy interventionist, TAP mentor/master teacher, and as an assistant principal until 2021. Allen previously served in the United States Army from 1998 through 2005, earning two achievement medals for accomplishing large tasks in minimal time.
A University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) alum, Allen has a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in literacy from Lesley University. She also holds an education specialist degree in educational leadership from Capella University.
At Whale Branch Middle School, Brantley Wilson replaces Jamie Allen who has accepted the principal position at Broad River Elementary School. Wilson began his educational career at the Beaufort Jasper Academy for Career Excellence where he served in classified, certified, and leadership roles from 2006 to 2018 to include Student Services Assistant, Mentor/Counselor for At-Risk Youth, Alternative Classroom Coordinator, Business/STEM Instructor, Department Chair, ADEPT Evaluator, Induction Mentor, and CATE Compliance Coordinator.
Wilson has served in assistant principal roles at both Hilton Head Island Middle School and Lady’s Island Middle School. He has previously served as a volunteer rescue diver/swimmer for Beaufort Water Search and Rescue and as a reserve firefighter. Also an USCB alum, Wilson has a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the American College of Education.
Interview committees were comprised of teacher leaders, feeder/cluster principals, School Improvement Council members, the Chief Human Resources Officer, a Human Resources representative, an Executive Director, and a representative of the district’s Instructional Services division. The high school interview committee also included student leaders.
After each round of interviews, committee members rated the candidates and those ratings were submitted to Superintendent Frank Rodriguez, who makes the final recommendations submitted to the Board of Education.
