Veteran Durham principals assume new positions

DURHAM, N.C. — Two Durham Public Schools veteran principals will assume new positions for the 2008-09 school year.

Sylvia Bittle, principal of Eno Valley Elementary, will be the principal of the new Spring Valley Elementary School, scheduled to open in January 2009.

Merrick-Moore Elementary Principal Kathy Kirkpatrick will return to middle school with her appointment as the principal of Lowe’s Grove Middle School.

Bittle has been principal at Eno Valley since August 2002. She was previously assistant principal there for three years. She has also served as assistant principal of George Watts Elementary School, career development coordinator at Riverside High School, and counselor at Oak Grove Elementary and Southern High School.

Prior to her service in Durham, Bittle was a counselor in Person, Gaston and Alamance counties.

She holds a master’s degree in administration and supervision from North Carolina Central University, a master’s degree in guidance and counseling education from North Carolina A&T University, and a bachelor’s degree in home economics education from Bennett College.

Kathy Kirkpatrick, principal of Merrick-Moore Elementary since 2005, was formerly assistant principal of Jackson Middle School in Greensboro. Before that, she was an assistant principal and teacher in Guilford County Schools for 17 years.

Kirkpatrick holds a master’s degree from UNC-Greensboro. She received a bachelor’s degree in Special Education from Greensboro College.