Szalankiewicz Straley

Two of Louisa County's five schools will have new principals next year who'll monitor classrooms and hallways for the same school system in which both were taught.

Effective July 1, Paula Szalankiewicz will be head of Jouett Elementary School. And Doug Straley will lead Louisa County High School 18 years after graduating from there.

Louisa County Public Schools used a search committee to evaluate a pool of applicants for each position. The fact that both hires were homegrown was coincidental, but their familiarity with the system should help them in their new jobs, said Superintendent Deborah Pettit.

"I'm very convinced that they were the best candidates," said Pettit, herself a Louisa County schools product. "I'm pleased that they are local because they already know a lot about the county and about each school."

The School Board appointed Szalankiewicz on May 8 and approved Straley's hire in April.

Szalankiewicz, 40, has overseen math instruction since 2003 for all the county schools from central administration. She is a 1986 graduate of Louisa County High School, where she later taught math, physics and computer science for 12 years.

She said her teaching experience and her work with teachers on curriculum at all the schools gave her the leadership qualities to head Jouett Elementary.

"I really feel like, with that knowledge, I can go to the school, make improvements and put the focus where the district feels like it needs to be: making sure that all kids can learn," Szalankiewicz said.

Straley, 35, is a 1990 graduate of Louisa High who has served as athletic director for his alma mater for the past four years. He said he is happy to give back to his high school and community.

"I'm looking forward to working with the staff, the students and the parents to make our school one of the best schools around," he said. Straley is a former assistant principal at the high school and at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School.

The two will replace Wes Eary at Jouett Elementary and Michael Wills at Louisa High.

The county schools enrolled about 4,700 students this past school year.