(Danville) — New Principals are coming this fall to two Danville schools. The Danville School Board Thursday voted to fill two vacancies.
At George Washington High School Johnny Cressell will move from Assistant Principal to Principal, effective June first. He began his career as a physical education teacher at W.W. Moore in 2017. He has taught and served as department chair for high school electives at the I.W. Taylor Virtual Academy.
More recently, Cressell served as assistant principal of Galileo Magnet High School, and is currently assistant principal of George Washington High School. He heads up the school’s Academy 9 program.
“I am both thrilled and honored to step into the role of principal at George Washington High School,” Cressell said. “I’ve developed a deep appreciation for the values and aspirations of our school and its surrounding community.”
Cressell will replace Reyhan Deskins, who announced last month that he will be leaving GW. Deskins was hired two years ago. He will become the new Principal at Franklin County High School.
Also Thursday the School Board named Mikayla Ragsdale as the new Principal for E.A. Gibson Middle School. She is currently Assistant Principal at Park Avenue Elementary School.
“What an honor it is to take on this new role,” Ragsdale said. “I look forward to building a family-oriented climate along with supporting all students, teachers, and staff. I am delighted to embark on this new journey and work with all students and staff at Gibson Elementary.”
Ragsdale began her teaching career in Halifax at Halifax Middle School. In Danville, she has taught at G.L.H. Johnson Elementary and Westwood Middle, where she served as English department chair.