December 20, 2023

Hunter Magnet Elementary Families,

I hope this finds each of you doing well and looking forward to a wonderful holiday break. 

Thank you all for the tremendous feedback you provided in our search for a new principal for Hunter Magnet Elementary. Your feedback is critical in this process. 

I write today to share an update regarding the interim principal position at Hunter. First, I want to thank Dr. Diann Kearney for her service as interim principal at Hunter these past three weeks. Dr. Kearney has provided tremendous leadership for many of our schools during times of transition, and we are grateful to her. 

We want to welcome Mr. Hilton “Trent” Evans as our new interim principal for Hunter effective Tuesday, January 2. Mr. Evans is a retired WCPSS principal who had a long, successful career in our system. He asked that I share this welcome letter with you all. Thank you for showing Mr. Evans a warm welcome to Hunter!

Ms. Diane Lockwood will continue to serve as interim assistant principal at Hunter, and we are grateful for her service. Additionally, Ms. Pamela Johnson, who was previously serving at Hunter this year, will serve in a 50% interim assistant principal position at Hunter beginning Monday, January 22 to provide additional support during this time of transition. Ms. Johnson is also a retired WCPSS principal who had a long, successful career in our system. You can read more about Ms. Lockwood and Ms. Johnson here. Thank you for your continued support of Ms. Lockwood and Ms. Johnson!

We are continuing diligent, thoughtful work in our search for a new principal for Hunter, and I will provide an update to you all once an appointment has been approved by our WCPSS Board of Education. If you have questions or would like more information about our process for identifying a principal candidate for Hunter, please review the information found on the Hunter website here. 

If I can help or provide any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me directly. Thank you for your support!

In Service, 

Elena Ashburn, Ed.D.

Central Area Superintendent