Kimberly Hutcherson selected as new principal for Center for Achievement
January 6, 2017
At a special called board meeting on Tuesday, January 3, 2017, Superintendent Debbie Hamm and Superintendent-Elect Baron Davis recommended and the Richland School District Two Board of Trustees approved Kimberly S. Hutcherson as the new principal at the Center for Achievement (CFA) effective immediately.
CFA offers a smaller environment for learning based on the individual needs of each student. The program strives to give students struggling in the traditional school setting with opportunities to achieve success. The center is located on the Kelly Mill Middle School campus.
Hutcherson began her education career in Richland School District One at Crayton Middle School. Richland Two hired Hutcherson in August 2009 to serve as an assistant administrator at Anna Boyd School. In August 2012, she was promoted to assistant principal at Lake Carolina Elementary.
Three years later Hutcherson became the district’s first Lead Behavior Interventionist Specialist. In this capacity, she established and piloted B.E.S.T., or the Behavioral Education Supports and Training program that emphasizes the importance of positive behavioral strategies, tiered interventions and restorative practices instead of solely relying on exclusionary practices, to address challenging behavior.
Hutcherson has a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and a master’s in elementary education from the University of South Carolina. She earned an education specialist degree in educational leadership and supervision from Cambridge College and is a member of the South Carolina Association for School Administrators, International Reading Association, and the Columbia Area Reading Council.
Dr. Debbie Hamm said, “Ms. Hutcherson steps into the role of principal with solid experience in many areas including curriculum development, behavioral management, literacy, project-based learning and arts-integration. She actively supports our district’s push for continuous improvement in the areas of teaching and learning by focusing on our Four Squares to Success: Learning, Character, Community and Joy.”
