Carrie Hetzel was appointed Paradise Canyon Elementary School Principal and Kristina Kalb was named assistant principal at La Cañada High School on Friday, May 18, when the members of the La Cañada Unified School District Governing Board voted to confirm both appointments at a special meeting. Both appointments will take effect on July 1.
“The appointments are a part of Superintendent Wendy Sinnette’s goal to reorganize district and site-level administrative positions, making adjustments and restructuring as necessary, in order to maximize efficiencies and ensure optimal services to all stakeholders,” read a statement from the district.
Hetzel joined LCUSD in 2014 as a “teacher on special assignment” supporting teachers with their instructional transition to the Common Core State Standards. In the 2016-17 school year, she was named assistant principal at PCY, where she now will take over as principal for Debra Cradduck, who this month was promoted to the district-wide position of executive director of personnel services.
Hetzel’s former assistant principal position at PCY will be filled by a yet-to-be-hired full-time elementary counselor, the district said.
Since arriving at the district in 2009, Kalb has worked in a variety of capacities at the high school. She has been an advanced placement government and economics teacher, the Pep Club adviser and, most recently, athletic director.
She’ll join an LCHS administrative team that also consists of principals Ian McFeat (at LCHS) and Jarrett Gold (at LCHS 7/8), as well as assistant principals Jon Lyons and Kip Glazer.
The Governing Board recently identified an increased need for administrative services at LCHS, which begins a Western Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation year in 2018-19, as well as a renewed emphasis on safety, security and student wellness initiatives.
Even so, the structure of three assistant principals isn’t intended to be permanent, the district said. It’s to be reviewed and assessed annually by the Governing Board throughout the upcoming budget cycle in 2018-21.
