District announces new principal selections at five schools

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 21, 2022

BEAUFORT – Veteran administrators have been selected to lead five Beaufort County School District (BCSD) schools. Superintendent Frank Rodriguez announced the new principal selections during tonight’s Board of Education meeting. Four of the selections by Rodriguez were internal moves, and one was an external hire from outside the district.

The five new principals are:

• Hilton Head Island Elementary School – Michelle Brockway, an assistant principal at Hilton Head Island Elementary School since 2014, replaces Sarah Owen, a veteran educator with over 25 years of experience, who decided to return to her love of teaching at both the secondary and collegiate level after serving as Hilton Head Island Elementary School’s principal for six years. Brockway began her educational career at Hilton Head Island Elementary School, having held various positions there and at the Hilton Head Island School for Creative Arts for the past 22 years. Brockway earned a master’s degree in Gifted Education from Converse College, and she holds two additional master’s degrees from the University of South Carolina in Educational Administration and Elementary Education.
• Okatie Elementary School –Tracy Lanese, an assistant principal at Okatie Elementary School since 2021, replaces Jamie Pinckney, a veteran educator with 40 years of experience, who retired after serving as Okatie Elementary School’s principal for 19 years. Lanese has been with BCSD for 23 years as an elementary teacher, interventionist, and assistant principal, having held various positions at Hilton Head Island Elementary, Bluffton Elementary, Hilton Head Island Early Childhood Center, Michael C. Riley Elementary, and Okatie Elementary. She holds a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of South Carolina.
• Beaufort Middle School –Elandee Thompson, an assistant principal at May River High School since 2021, replaces Alvilda Graham, a veteran educator with 22 years of experience, who will be joining the Student Services department at the District Office. Thompson, locally educated in the Battery Creek cluster and a SC Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics graduate, began her 25 year career at BCSD as a science teacher and has held assistant principal positions at Battery Creek High School, Beaufort High School, and May River High School.  She earned a master’s degree in Educational Administration and Leadership from the University of South Carolina. Thompson also holds a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Phoenix and is working on her doctoral dissertation in the same discipline through Liberty University.
• Hilton Head Middle School – Clinton Austin, an assistant principal at May River High School since 2017, will be taking the helm at Hilton Head Island Middle School. Austin began his educational career as a physical education and health education teacher at East Stroudsburg Area High School in Pa. He has served BCSD for a decade having held educational positions at Bluffton Middle School and May River High School, in addition to coaching athletics at Bluffton Middle and High schools . Austin holds a master’s degree in Educational Administration from the University of South Carolina.
• Beaufort High School – Carla Shelton, Greenbrier High School Principal in Evans, Ga. Replaces Charity Summers, a veteran community and school educator with over 30 years of experience, who is retired after serving as Beaufort High School’s principal for four years. Shelton has 25+ years in education with a track record of improving instructional practices and raising student achievement. She has served as a special education teacher, school counselor, assistant principal, and principal at both the middle and high school levels. Shelton holds an educational specialist degree in Educational Leadership and Supervision from Lincoln Memorial University in Tenn. as well as a master’s degree in School Counseling from Augusta State University in Ga.

The administrators approved tonight were the top choices of committees that interviewed finalists for each position. Those committees included teachers, principals, executive directors, School Improvement Council members, and representatives of the district’s Instructional Services Division. The high school interview committee also included a student.

“Every strong district has phenomenal school leaders, and I’m confident that these five educators will excel in their new roles,” Rodriguez said.  “They’re experienced, they understand the importance of hard work, and the value of teamwork. Their No. 1 priority will be moving academic achievement forward and ensuring student success.”

Candace Bruder, Ed.D.
Director of Communications
Beaufort County School District
843-322-2432 (office)
843-941-9178 (cell)
candace.bruder@beaufort.k12.sc.us