The Gainesville City School System announced Friday the new principal of Centennial Arts Academy.
Pending board approval, Dr. Steven-Kyle Jefferson will begin July 1 following the retirement of long-time principal Leslie Frierson.
“Dr. Jefferson brings a wide range of leadership experience with gifted, music, and special education. He is the perfect fit for the vision at Centennial Arts Academy,” Superintendent of Gainesville City Schools, Dr. Jeremy Williams said in a press release. “The School Governance Council and GCSS leadership unanimously selected Dr. Jefferson to take the helm.”
According to a press release from the Gainesville City School System, Jefferson currently serves as the principal of Betty Wheeler Classical Junior Academy in St. Louis, Missouri. He will be relocating to Georgia to join his family in the area. Jefferson also served as an assistant principal at Wade Park Elementary School in Cleveland, Ohio. He has eight years of experience as a Special Education Teacher working at Harambee Institute of Science and Technology Charter School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Hawthorne Elementary School in DeKalb County, Georgia.
Whilst working as a music teacher at Philadelphia Montessori Charter School, Jefferson designed and taught a school-wide program that integrated the arts with academic content. He also implemented the school's first summer music program.
“After beginning my career as a music teacher, I feel that this is a full circle moment. I am excited to return home to Georgia and I look forward to working with the community,” Jefferson said.
