Hall County Schools Superintendent Will Schofield announced Friday that Keri Smith will serve as Riverbend Elementary School’s new principal. She will replace current principal Donna Wiggins, who will retire at the end of the school year.
Smith has been North Hall Middle School’s assistant principal since 2017, where she oversees the school’s assessment, career tech and agricultural education and response to intervention.
She’s been in the Hall County District for 19 years. Schofield said that her experience in education will make her a strong addition to Riverbend Elementary.
“Keri Smith has such a wide range of experience in the field of education,” Schofield said in a press release. “Her versatility, compassion, and courage to think outside the box are leadership traits necessary to lead schools during this unprecedented era. We look forward to watching Riverbend continue to flourish under her leadership.”
Smith taught third, fourth and fifth grade students from 2003 to 2013 at Lula Elementary School, Riverbend Elementary School, World Language Academy and Sprout Springs Elementary School. She was Sprout Spring Elementary and Lyman Hall Elementary’s instructional coach from 2012 to 2017.
She also was an adjunct professor at the University of North Georgia from 2010 through 2017, where she taught pre-education classes.
“It is an honor to be able to serve the North Hall community as the principal of Riverbend Elementary,” Smith said. “I look forward to working alongside the teachers, students, families, and community to continue making Riverbend an exceptional place for students to learn and grow. This opportunity will allow me to return to the school that I attended as a child, and had the opportunity to teach in during my early years as an educator. I am thankful for the loving support of my husband Chris, and my children Matthew, Bailey, Jake, Lawson and Nolee for anchoring me during this journey.”
