What's new in school: New principals, vice principals, buildings and sports in local area

Carson City School District

The largest change for the 2007-08 school year in the Carson City district is the $12 million renovation of at Carson Middle School. Portable class rooms are being removed and replaced with permanent buildings.

Districtwide, teachers will be studying Stetson training where they will be taught to work with special education students in a regular classroom environment. In a lot of cases this will mean more than one teacher will be working with students, resulting in more one-on-one time with each student.

Nine of the district's 10 schools made Adequate Yearly Progress as stated in the federal No Child Left Behind act. That means that last year students scored proficiently on standardized testing.

• Bordewich-Bray: New Principal, Val Dockery (283-2400)

A native of New York, Dockery was a grants administration writer for Carson City school district from 1996-2002. She moved to Ohio in 2002 and spent three years supervising the gifted education programs there. She returned to Carson and in 2006, became vice principal at Eagle Valley Middle School. In all, she has 11 years of background in administration.

Family: Married to Scott, twin daughters Kelsey and Kristin are 17.

Goal is to get to know the parents, teachers and students and to continue adequate yearly progress goals.

• Fritsch Elementary: New Principal, Mary Garey (283-1400)

Garey worked at Carson Middle School from 1995-99 as dean of students. From 1999-03 she was the principal at Mark Twain. She moved to Nebraska in 2003. In 2005, she moved back and taught sixth grade at Reno's Smithridge Elementary School. Last year, she taught special education pre kindergarten development at Donner Springs Elementary School.

Family: She's married with eight children.

Her goals are in sync with the district's in adopting a new math text book, and working to increase the students' writing abilities.

• Fritsch Elementary: New Vice Principal, Wayland Denny

Denny, 37, will serve as the new vice principal for Seeliger and Fritsch elementary schools, splitting his time between both schools. He has worked for the Washoe County School District for 11 years where he helped create an alternative education program at Sparks Elementary School.

His goals are to build creative positive relationships and to help the students be as successful as possible.

• Fremont Elementary School: New Principal, Mark VanVoohrst (283-1200)

• Empire Elementary School: New Principal, Evelyn Allred (283-1100)

• Pioneer High School: New Principal, Jason Zona

• District Office: Susan Keema was promoted to Associate Superintendent of Educational Services.

- All new positions are results of the retirement of other administrators.

STOREY COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Football returned to Virginia City High School for the first time in 64 years. The district passed a bond a few years ago and this summer completed a new athletic complex that includes fields for football and softball. The first home football game will be 1 p.m. Sept. 1.

The state is allowing school districts to use independent study. Special education students will be gaining real-life experience, training them to live on their own after high school.

Virginia City High School is now offering advanced placement calculus and providing transportation to Western Nevada College for classes.

• Hugh Gallagher Elementary School:

New Principal Michele VanVoorst (847-0977)

New kindergarten teacher Sonja Hicks

• Virginia City High School:

New math/science teacher: Bret Barnes

New social studies teacher: Everett Shropshire

New counselor: Mary Ahern