The Clarke County School District names interim co-directors for the District’s Office of Early Learning. Suzanne Kennedy and Crystal Walker will fill the opening that will be created by the departure of director Karen Higginbotham, who steps down at the end of the month.
From the CCSD website…
The Clarke County School District announces the appointment of Suzanne Kennedy and Crystal “Chris” Walker as co-interim directors for CCSD’s Office of Early Learning and its early learning centers. Ms. Kennedy and Ms. Walker, both veteran educators with more than 70 years of combined experience, including previous experience with CCSD, will be assuming the duties of outgoing director Karen Higginbotham, whose last day with the district is Thursday, June 29.
The CCSD Office of Early Learning offers pre-kindergarten, preschool special education, Head Start, and Early Head Start services at its two early learning centers – ELC East at 280 Gaines School Rd., Athens, and ELC West at 440-2 Dearing Ext., Athens.
Ms. Kennedy got her start in education in 1985 and returns to CCSD after having previously worked in the district first as a kindergarten and pre-K classroom teacher at Winterville and Cleveland Road elementary schools. She was Cleveland Road’s Teacher of the Year for 1995 and 1996 and was also nominated for CCSD’s Teacher of Excellence award. Ms. Kennedy then served as coordinator of the district’s Even Start Family Literacy Program and was interim director for the district’s Pathways to Success summer programming before leaving to become principal of the Decatur City School District’s College Heights Early Learning Center, a role she held from 2006-2017. Since 2018, she has been Pre-K Director and Early Childhood Coordinator for the Morgan County Charter School System and Morgan County Primary School in Madison.
A retired public school educator of more than 30 years, Ms. Walker brings to CCSD’s Office of Early Learning extensive experience as a special education teacher, preschool administrator, curriculum coordinator, and instructional coach. After 17 years as a special education classroom teacher in Catoosa and Clarke counties, she became the Clarke County School District’s Low Incidence Disabilities Coordinator from 2001-2008 and then the district’s Education Manager for Early Head Start and Head Start programming from 2008-2015 and preschool literacy coach from 2015-2016. She has also been a preschool curriculum evaluator for the University of Georgia and was most recently an education coach for Primrose School of Athens from 2016-2019 as well as a supervisor of student preschool and special educator teachers for UGA from 2017-2019.
“We are excited to welcome Ms. Kennedy and Ms. Walker back to Clarke County. We are fortunate to have an opportunity to leverage their combined expertise to ensure that the Office of Early Learning continues to promote the learning and development of the students we serve,” said Dr. Jennifer Scott, CCSD’s Chief of Academics and Student Supports.
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