Lexington One promotes Bowers, Poole, Matthews at NPES
August 20, 2015
LEXINGTON, SC – Superintendent Karen Woodward announces that at the August 18, 2015 regular monthly meeting of the Lexington County School District One Board of Trustees, the board approved the promotion of C. Van Bowers to the position of Elementary Schools Director at the District Office, Deborah Rodgers Poole to the position of Principal of New Providence Elementary School and Rebecca F. Matthews to the position of Assistant Administrator at New Providence Elementary School.
Van Bowers, who has 27 years of education experience, currently serves as principal of New Providence Elementary School. He became principal there in 2007 as the district was building and opening the school.
Bowers began his career as a physical education teacher in the School District of Oconee County’s Westminster Elementary School in 1988. In 1989, he moved to West-Oak High School as head baseball coach. He moved to the Georgetown County School District’s Andrews Primary School after being promoted to the position of assistant principal in 1992.
He joined Lexington One’s Red Bank Elementary School as assistant principal in 1994, moved to Oak Grove Elementary School in 1999 as assistant principal and was promoted to principal there in 2003.
During his tenure as principal at NPES and OGES, the South Carolina Department of Education recognized both schools with student achievement awards including Exemplary ratings, Palmetto Gold and Silver Awards for outstanding academic achievement, and Closing the Achievement Gap Awards for improved academic achievement among historically underachieving students. In addition, OGES and NPES received the Red Carpet Award for exceptional public relations.
Bowers interest in improving student achievement through the use of data led him to the implementation of one of the district’s first Response to Intervention (RtI) models for improving achievement at OGES. Today, the district uses RtI district-wide to improve learning for struggling students.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in physical education from Erskine College and a Master of Education in educational administration from Clemson University.
He is a member of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the South Carolina Association of School Administrators, and the South Carolina Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Deborah Rodgers Poole, who has 26 years of education experience, currently serves as assistant principal of New Providence Elementary School. She became assistant principal there in 2008 as the district opened NPES.
Poole began her teaching career in 1989 at Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary School in the Aiken County Public School District where she was chosen Teacher of the Year.
She joined Lexington County School District One in 2002 as an elementary school teacher at Oak Grove Elementary School and was a school-level teacher of the year, a finalist for district teacher of the year and a National Board Certified Teacher before becoming an assistant principal.
Poole has served as a mentor for elementary assistant principals, on numerous committees and task forces for gifted and talented evaluation, competency-based learning, standards-based reporting, elementary leadership report card, personalized learning for elementary schools, and more.
Poole has a Bachelor of Arts in early childhood education from the University of South Carolina Aiken and two Masters of Education one in Early Childhood Education and one in Educational Leadership from the University of South Carolina.
She is a member of the Columbia Area Reading Council, Palmetto State Teachers Association, South Carolina Association of School Administrators, South Carolina Children’s Book Award Selection Committee, South Carolina Early Childhood Association and the USC Aiken Educational Advisory Board.
Rebecca F. Matthews, who becomes assistant administrator at New Providence Elementary, has seven years of educational experience.
She began teaching fifth grade in 2008 at Bridge Creek Elementary School in Richland School District Two where she specialized in mathematics and science instruction, served as fifth-grade team leader and lead mathematics teacher, science curriculum chair, mentor and coaching teacher.
Matthews joined New Providence Elementary School in 2011 as a fifth-grade teacher. While there, she’s led professional development, served on summer planning committees, and served as a coaching teacher.
Matthews has a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education and a Master of Educational Leadership from the University of South Carolina.
She is a member of the Palmetto State Teachers Association.
