Aiken Principal to Fill Position at Dormont Elementary

students will have a new principal next fall, and parents will recognize a familiar face in the district.

Principal Bobbi-Ann Barnes will move to Dormont Elementary for the 2012-2013 school year. She will replace after 18 years with the .

Barnes served as assistant principal at Dormont Elementary between 1998 and 2000, before she became the principal at Aiken.

In her 12 years at Aiken, the school was awarded the district’s first in 2011. The school also has made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the past eight years.

In a press release from the district Tuesday, Barnes said she's excited about the new opportunity, but has mixed emotions about the upcoming change.

"I have a lot of existing relationships at Dormont Elementary from my time there in the late 90s and I'm looking forward to rekindling those relationships and to developing new ones with the staff and families that I haven't met yet," said Barnes. "However, Aiken will always hold a special place in my heart and I will miss them dearly."

Acting Superintendent Kathy Foster was quoted in the same press release to say that replacing an experienced and beloved principal like Shevchik would be no easy task, but that Barnes is ideally suited for the role.

"George Shevchik has been an outstanding principal at Dormont and he'll certainly be missed by everyone," said Foster. "However, Mrs. Barnes also brings with her exceptional experience and enthusiasm and like Mr. Shevchik, she too has proven herself to be a very effective building leader and I'm positive that those qualities will serve her well in her new post."

No decisions have been made about Barnes' potential replacement at Aiken.

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