New principals named at three high schools, two middle schools

St. Mary Parish Schools have announced new administrative appointments, including the naming of principals at three high schools and two middle schools.

The appointments announced Friday by Superintendent Dr. Teresa Bagwell:

--Dawn Chaisson has been named supervisor of child nutrition. Chaisson, currently principal at Foster Elementary, will succeed Claire Guarisco.

Chaisson brings years of experience as an administrator to her new role, including nine years as principal of Foster and six years as assistant principal of Patterson Junior High.

--Kristin Percle, currently principal of Berwick Junior High, has been named instructional supervisor assigned to high schools. She succeeds Dr. Rachael Sanders, recently named to be assistant superintendent

Percle previously held the position of assistant principal of Berwick High School.

--Jared Ross has been named principal at Centerville High School. He succeeds Kristina Estay, recently appointed to be the district's human resources director.

Ross has spent the last seven years serving as the school’s assistant principal "and will easily transition into the role given his experience working with students and faculty at Centerville High School," Bagwell said.

--Courtney Andrews will be the new Patterson High School principal. Andrews previously served as the school’s assistant principal and curriculum leader.

Andrews also held the job of assistant principal at Patterson Junior High School for two years before returning to Patterson High School, where
she began her career as a social studies teacher.

--At West St. Mary High School, Ashley Clark will be the principal. Clark has held the assistant principal position for the last four years and most recently served in an acting principal capacity following the departure of Donald Sanders.

She is also a former teacher and coach at the school, "which will support the transition into a principal role given her knowledge of the school’s overall operations," Bagwell said.

--Berwick Junior High's new principal will be Ryan Taylor. He succeeds Percle, who was selected as an instructional supervisor.

Currently, Taylor is the school’s assistant principal and "has gained experience and expertise of the school throughout the last few years," Bagwell said.

He formerly served as a teacher and coach at Patterson and Morgan City high schools before moving into administration at Berwick Junior High.

--Crystal Daigle will be Morgan City Junior High's new principal, moving up from her role as assistant principal.

"Ms. Daigle has vast experiences in the education arena having worked with post-secondary education students at Young Memorial and more recently as an elementary and middle school teacher with St. Mary Parish Schools," Bagwell said.

Daigle was also part of the district’s instructional division, holding the position of instructional specialist just prior to accepting the assistant principalship at Morgan City Junior High this school year.

Applications for the various leadership positions were accepted, and recently interviews were conducted "in an effort to thoroughly weigh the
qualifications of each candidate given the position’s job requirements," Bagwell said.

"As the summer progresses, additional administrative changes will be announced including the appointment of assistant principals to fill the void left by this most recent round of principal selections. Due to the intense training and coordination of leadership adjustments, the school system intends to have all necessary appointments made in the coming weeks."