New principal, assistant principals named at June board meeting
During its regular June meeting, the Forest Hills Board of Education approved internal appointments of one new principal and two assistant principals.
Heather Hoelle, will assume principal duties beginning August 1. Ms. Hoelle joined the Ayer team in 2015 as assistant principal.
“I believe strongly in the Ayer community and I look forward to continuing to serve our students and staff through this new role,” said Hoelle. “My utmost priority will always be to support student learning and growth to the best of my ability. I am honored to be part of the Forest Hills School District and I’m eager to begin this new journey with the Ayer Falcons.”
Over the past five years, Hoelle’s work helped lead to Ayer's statewide recognition as a “Hall of Fame” school for going above and beyond to meet the needs of students. Heather has played an instrumental role in the school’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program, which has earned two statewide awards. In 2019, the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators (OAESA) nominated Hoelle for its Assistant Principal of the Year Award.
Hoelle’s former assistant principal position will be filled by Joy O’Brien. O’Brien has been at Forest Hills for 12 years, serving the last four years as Mercer Elementary’s assistant principal. O’Brien’s accomplishments include leading the school’s award-winning PBIS program and serving as the school’s special education case coordinator. She was part of the administrative team that helped Mercer Elementary earn the prestigious “Hall of Fame” designation and she is recognized statewide for her leadership serving on the OAESA Board of Directors.
Former Mercer teacher, Kimberly Beard, will return to Mercer to take over assistant principal duties. A graduate of the district’s leadership academy, Beard taught math and science at Mercer for 12 years prior to moving into a district-level role as a Learning Design Specialist (LDS) in 2017. Beard’s LDS position will not be filled to achieve savings as part of the district’s attritionary model.
“We have incredibly talented educators and leaders in our district, and I am thrilled that we’re able to fill these positions with faces that are familiar to our students, their parents, and the community,” said Scot Prebles, superintendent. “All three of these individuals are constantly striving to go above and beyond for all of our students, and we’re looking forward to seeing them achieve continued success during the upcoming school year and beyond.”
