CCSD recognizes Star Principals of 2024

Charleston County School District (CCSD) staff, including Superintendent of Schools Anita Huggins, honored six Star Principals on Monday, March 18, 2024, with surprise announcements at their schools. These administrators were selected based on their leadership and work as principals to improve student outcomes and implement strategic change. The six 2024 Star Principals will be honored among their colleagues at this year’s gala, titled An Evening with the Stars Nautical Ball Saturday, May 4, 2024.

2024 Star Principals

Bryan Coleman – Middle School Learning Community

Principal Coleman has been the principal at Thomas C. Cario Middle School since July 2022.

Coleman entered the field of education in 2005 as an eighth-grade science
teacher at Greece Apollo Middle School in Greece, NY. While at Greece Apollo, Coleman planned and co-taught science and earth science in general and accelerated classes, as well as chaired the school’s Honors by Demonstration program for all middle school science students seeking high school honors credit. Three years later, Coleman joined the teaching staff at
Cario Middle where he has served in various capacities for the last 16 years.
Michelle Conner – Elementary School Learning Community
Principal Conner has been the lead administrator at Mamie P. Whitesides Elementary School since Fall 2022. Before that, she spent five years as the principal of Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary School.

Conner began her educational career in CCSD in 1993 as a preschool special education teacher at Mary Ford Elementary School, where she also served as Preschool PTA Club Chairperson. She also spent time teaching in Guatemala, and then in Virginia and Kansas before turning to the Lowcountry in 2004. Conner returned to CCSD at Mount Pleasant Academy (MPA) where she taught kindergarten, first, and third grades over the course of 11 years. While at MPA, Conner spent time during the summers serving as a Summer Literacy Program Site Coordinator at Julian Mitchell Elementary and assisting MPA administration with special projects including back-to-school activities and programs for teachers. In 2015, Conner became the assistant principal at Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary.

Stacey Dickinson – Rookie of the Year (Elementary School Learning Community)

Principal Dickinson began her role as principal of Harbor View Elementary School at the start of the 2023-2024 school year.
Dickinson began her career in 2001 in Charlotte, NC as a fourth-grade teacher. Over the next five years, she excelled in classroom leadership, leading to her selection as grade-level chair and assistance with the school-wide implementation of the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program. In 2006, Dickinson moved to Charleston and joined the fourth-grade teaching staff at Angel Oak Elementary, eventually becoming a lead teacher there in 2014. After four years in that role, Dickinson was selected to serve as assistant principal at Harbor View Elementary in 2018.
Dr. Katchia Gethers – Acceleration Schools Learning Community
Principal Gethers has been the principal of Hunley Park Elementary School since the start of the 2020-2021 school year.

Dr. Gethers began her time in education as a special education and general education teacher in the Albany, NY public school system in 1998. In 2006, she left the classroom to become a reading consultant with EdisonLearning in Newark, NJ. In this role, Dr. Gethers conducted classroom observations to provide teachers with research-based practices to improve student achievement, as well as provided job-embedded coaching and teacher modeling in literacy. In two years, Dr. Gethers changed roles within the company to become a leadership consultant. In this capacity, she developed innovative materials and presentations to address transformational and instructional leadership practices, as well as conducted needs assessments for schools, identifying organizational and instructional strengths and opportunities for improvements. Dr. Gethers relocated to Hawaii in 2016 to serve as a vice principal through the Hawaii Department of Education, her final role before coming to CCSD.

Jacob Perlmutter – High School Learning Community

Principal Perlmutter is in his second year as the principal of Academic Magnet High School (he is a 1995 graduate of Academic Magnet).

Before returning to Academic Magnet, Perlmutter spent more than a decade as the principal of Jerry Zucker Middle School. He also taught as an adjunct professor at the College of Charleston in the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance.

Under his leadership, Zucker Middle School earned four consecutive National Showcase School Awards from Capturing Kids Hearts for exemplary outcomes with transformational processes focused on social-emotional wellbeing, relationship-driven campus culture, and student connectedness. He was also a finalist for the prestigious National 2015 Escalante-Grandillas Best in Education Award.
He has taught students from sixth grade to graduate-level college classes, with high school teaching experience at Harry S. Truman High School in New York City where he also coached soccer.

Ashland Temoney – Rookie of the Year (Elementary School Learning Community)

Principal Temoney became the leader of Minnie Hughes Elementary School at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year.

Temoney began her educational career in 2011 following her time as a University of Phoenix Graduate Program student teacher (she was a social worker for a few years). Upon completion of her degree, Temoney joined the teaching team at Apple Charter Elementary School in Charleston, SC as a second grade instructor where she served on the PBIS team and as the step team coach and fundraising chair. The following year, Temoney joined the CCSD family at Minnie Hughes. During her time at Minnie Hughes, Temoney taught child development, second, and third grades, as well as served as a literacy coach. Additionally, she facilitated Saturday school, the school’s Tuesday Tutorial Program, and served on the leadership and PBIS teams. She also earned awards for having top state test scores two years in a row and was named the school’s 2015-2016 Teacher of the Year. After six years at Minnie Hughes, Temoney joined the administrative team at James B. Edwards in 2018.