DATE: Sunday, June 22, 1997                 TAG: 9706220110

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY ALETA PAYNE, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   56 lines

NEW LEADERS PROPOSED FOR SOME BEACH SCHOOLS

Proposed changes have been announced in the leadership at several of the city's elementary schools, including an unusual two-principal team that will lead the 1,577-student Glenwood Elementary.

The opening of Christopher Farms Elementary in the fall will bring to 54 the number of schools serving kindergarten through fifth-grade students in the division. It had already been announced that Donald Clement would leave Centerville Elementary to be principal of the new campus.

The board must approve the changes. A vote is expected at the July 1 meeting.

The schools and the principals proposed to lead them are:

Alanton: Charles Grindle, from Red Mill.

Brookwood: Alvah Wilder, from Salem.

Centerville: Judith Lewis, from Trantwood.

Glenwood: Ralph Mizelle, from Tallwood, and Susan Tolley from Hermitage.

Newtown Road: Alexander Saulsberry, from Glenwood.

Salem: Joseph Badali, from Brookwood.

Tallwood: Linda Tanner, from Alanton.

In addition, Douglas Kingery, principal at Old Donation Center, would become assistant principal at Strawbridge, and Tom Coggin, principal at Pembroke, would become assistant principal at Kempsville.

Ed Gibbs, principal at White Oaks, announced several weeks ago that he planned to return to teaching. He will be replaced by Carla Celata, an assistant principal at Larkspur.

Left vacant by the changes would be posts at ODC, Red Mill, Trantwood, Pembroke and Hermitage. In addition, nearly half of the division's 63 elementary assistant principals will be reassigned.

Joan Mason, an assistant superintendent for elementary school education, said most of the principals involved had requested changes. She declined to comment on the two principals who were shifted to assistant principal jobs.

Placing two principals at Glenwood makes sense, she said, given the size of the school, which enrolls almost as many students as some of the city's high schools.

The changes, Mason said, will help build strong team leadership in the schools.

``It's a very exciting time,'' she said.

Most of the principals contacted said they were looking forward to new opportunities but were sad to be leaving the neighborhoods they had served.

``The feeling I have is bittersweet,'' said Badali. ``It's been an awfully good eight years (at Brookwood), but it's time to grow professionally.''

Grindle was an assistant principal at Red Mill when it opened eight years ago and has been principal for four years.

``I look forward to the new challenges but I'm sorry (to leave),'' he said. ``I've seen an awful lot of kids and families grow.''

Tolley said she and Mizelle were still working on how they would divide responsibilities at Glenwood.

``I'm excited, nervous, all the things that go along with a change and a move,'' she said.

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