S-C Junior High Administrator Leaving After 2014 School Year

Dr. Jennifer Holland, assistant principal at Smith-Cotton Junior High School, will leave Sedalia School District 200 at the end of the current academic year to become the lead curriculum developer and professional development consultant for the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA), the accrediting agency of early childhood education in Illinois.

Dr. Holland, who joined the Sedalia 200 district at the start of the 2013-14 school year, has worked as an independent contractor for curriculum and instructional development for public and private education organizations across the Midwest.

“As a consultant, I work to evaluate and create continuing education courses for early childhood practitioners as part of the statewide credentialing process,” she said. “For example, I have developed Welcoming Each and Every Child (dealing with developmental delays and special needs) which has been operational as a face-to-face training since 2012, and online since Fall 2013. I am currently preparing a curriculum revision introducing assessment and developmental screening processes to educators for consistent understanding and implementation of state-mandated practices. I will also accumulate and review school/organization data for reflection on current classroom practices, identifying instructional strengths and areas needing improvement.”

Dr. Holland also trains people to administer the programs she develops, and will continue to present at educational conferences. To allow for travel, her new position will be based in Kansas City.

Smith-Cotton Junior High Principal Jason Curry said: he's pleased with the positive impact Dr. Holland has had on Smith-Cotton Junior High in her time at the school. “She is a very motivated and driven individual, who will continue to be successful in her future endeavors," said Curry. "She worked hard to establish positive relationships with the students and staff, which is a district-wide goal of Superintendent Brad Pollitt. I wish her continued success in life and in the educational field as we now begin the search for her successor.”

Dr. Holland said that the change is bittersweet. “I have been welcomed into the school district and community, but will now have more opportunities to work at the state level of education," she said. "It has been a positive experience working as an administrator in secondary education, and I will be able apply what I have learned to future job responsibilities.”

This press release provided by Sedalia School District 200.