Thu, Aug 31st, 2023 - 12:21pm
April 05, 2023 - 7:52am | By Kyle Cornell
(West Fargo, ND) -- West Fargo Public Schools have announced a pair of new principals for two of its elementary schools in the district.
The district has announced that Tabatha Joyce will transfer to the principal position at L.E. Berger Elementary School, while Michael Shea will transfer to the same position at the new Meadowlark Elementary School.
Joyce has 14 years of experience in education administration and has been the principal at Eastwood Elementary since 2019. She has also been filling the role as advising principal at Freedom Elementary for most of this school year. Joyce has been with West Fargo Public Schools since 2002. She holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from North Dakota State University and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Valley City State University.
"Tabatha has shown great aptitude for creating a welcoming community at the various buildings in our district and we look forward to seeing her succeed at L.E. Berger," said Assistant District Superintendent Dr. Rachael Agre. "As we look to fill other needs across the district, we will begin interviewing for the open principal positions at Freedom, Legacy, Eastwood, and Independence Elementary beginning the week of April 17th.”
After accepting the position at L.E. Berger Elementary, Joyce stated, “I taught at Berger early on in my career with WFPS, so being given the opportunity to go back as a leader and help that staff continue to shatter barriers in the best interest of learners is one I will not take lightly.”
Shea has 25 years of experience in education administration and has been the principal at Independence Elementary since 2013. He has been with West Fargo Public Schools since 2007. Shea holds a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of North Dakota and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of North Dakota.
“After evaluating the pool of highly qualified candidates and comparing it against the needs of the elementary team, the decision to internally transfer two current head elementary principals into these positions made the most sense,” Dr. Agre stated. “We are excited for the experience that Michael will bring to preparing Meadowlark Elementary School to be opened during the 2024-2025 school year.
After accepting the position at Meadowlark Elementary, Shea stated, “Opening Independence Elementary for the district was one of the most challenging and rewarding times of my career. It is a true honor to be asked to open the district’s 15th elementary, Meadowlark, and I’m looking forward to building relationships with their educators, learners, and families.”
Both Joyce and Shea will assume their new roles on July 1st, 2023.
