Pam Cowan has been named the new principal of Centertown Elementary School. Her education career spans 18 years – with all that time in the school she now leads.
“I’m looking forward to my new position as principal,” said Cowan. “I was hired by Janie Moore to teach fifth grade in 1994. It will be hard to leave my students, but this will be a new challenge for me.”
While she earned the administrative credentials to be a principal 12 years ago, she waited more than a decade to apply for open positions. Her first attempts were Hickory Creek Elementary and Eastside School last year, with both positions given to other applicants.
Cowan says she’s happy with how things turned out because she gets to stay in a familiar community.
“I get to stay at home and be in the community that I know,” she said. “My family has a long tradition with Centertown. My grandmother taught at Centertown in the old building. My father was a student here. All my husband’s family went to school here. My children went through Centertown School.”
No big changes will be on the horizon for Centertown School under Cowan’s leadership.
“For the most part, Centertown functions very well,” she said. “I don’t see any big changes that need to be made. We have highly motivated students and teachers. I don’t anticipate a lot of changes will be necessary.”
Cowan officially takes over July 1. However, she is already on the move.
“I have spent a couple days cleaning out my classroom. I had no idea I had that much stuff. It has been 18 years, so there are a lot of boxes and sacks filled with things.”
Centertown’s former principal, Autumn Turner, was promoted to the central office as the school’s new director of teaching and learning for pre-K through sixth grades.