Newark, MD, May 21, 2024– At today’s Worcester County Board of Education meeting, several school-based administrative appointments and transfers were announced. The new assignments are effective July 1, 2024.
Following the retirements of Worcester Technical High School (WTHS) Principal Tom Zimmer and Assistant Principal Wynnette Hansen, the Board has appointed Tony Bevilacqua to return to the school as principal, and LaVerne Cray will transfer from Showell Elementary School to serve as Assistant Principal. Prior to serving Somerset County Public Schools for ten years, most recently as principal and Supervisor of Instruction and Mentoring, Bevilacqua was the 2012 Worcester County Teacher of the Year during his tenure at WTHS. He brings a wealth of experience and institutional knowledge of the specialized programming WTHS offers students.
Filling the vacancy of Stephen Decatur Middle School’s (SDMS) principal following H. Lynne Barton’s retirement is current Assistant Principal / Extended Day Administrator Theresa Torpey. Torpey brings 26 years of educational experience in Worcester County to the role, the last 15 of which were in administration at SDMS.
The Board also appointed four new Assistant Principals to roles throughout the county:
Colby Haines, who has been with the school system since 2012, will join the administrative team at SDMS as Assistant Principal replacing Torpey.
Leah James will become Assistant Principal at Snow Hill Elementary, filling the vacancy left by Jennifer Howard, who will move into a School Counselor vacancy at Pocomoke Elementary School. James has been with the school system since 2015, most recently serving as Curriculum Resource Teacher at Pocomoke High School.
Jeff Postell, who joined WCPS in 2021, will join Buckingham Elementary School’s administrative team as Assistant Principal, replacing Quinn Swain, who will transfer to Berlin Intermediate School.
Joining Snow Hill High School’s administrative team is Kristina Salvarola, who has been a teacher at Snow Hill Middle School since 2019. Salvarola will fill a vacancy from the upcoming retirement of current Assistant Principal Scot Tingle.
Completing the administrative announcements is the transfer of Mark Shipley from SDMS to Showell Elementary School, filling Cray’s previously referenced vacancy, and Kristy Clark will transfer from Berlin Intermediate School to Stephen Decatur Middle School, replacing Shipley.
“I am confident that these appointments and transfers mark another step in the right direction for our school system,” said Superintendent of Schools Lou Taylor. “We have a deep pool of talented educational leaders here in Worcester County, and I believe the changes announced today will benefit our students greatly. Congratulations to those announced today, and I thank them for their commitment to bring their best to these new roles.”