The administration shuffle is an annual ritual in school districts, but recent school closures in District 69 have increased the number of changes.
The new assignments announced May 1 will take effect August 1, with 15 principals and vice-principals changing jobs or retiring.
Sheila Spendlove will become principal of Arrowview Elementary School. She taught at Nanoose Bay, Parksville, Arrowview, Bowser, French Creek and Errington elementary schools and was a teacher and vice-principal at Winchelsea Elementary. She spent the past year as the district's acting director of instruction.
Brian Nikula will become principal of Bowser Elementary. Nikula has served as a principal and vice-principal in the district since 2000 and he's currently the principal of French Creek Community School which will close this summer.
Tony Saremba, currently principal of the closing Winchelsea Elementary, will become principal of the newly named Springwood Elementary. The current Oceanside Middle School vice-principal, Lori Marshall, will become vice-principal of Springwood.
Springwood Middle School vice-principal Tandy Gunn will become principal of Nanoose Bay Elementary.
Anne Jenkins, who has been teaching in the district since 1999 and is currently principal of Springwood Middle School, will become principal of the newly-named, dual-track French immersion École Oceanside Elementary.
Annie Dufort will become district principal of language programs and services and also vice-principal at École Oceanside Elementary.
Returning to the district as manager of special projects and innovation is Bob Bate, who was previously a career programs coordinator and counsellor at Kwalikum Secondary before a stint with the acclaimed Canadian International School of Hong Kong.
The board of education also thanked several administrators who are retiring or changing jobs. Brian Worthen is returning to the classroom after serving as acting Bowser Elementary principal for the past year.
Sandra Verheyen, who served as acting vice-principal at Qualicum Beach Elementary, will also return to the classroom.
The current acting vice-principal of Oceanside Middle School, Gwendolyn Flynn, is also retiring from the district.
Jessica Antosz, the principal of Nanoose Bay Elementary, is leaving the district and has been seconded by the B.C. Principals and Vice Principals Association to lead their professional learning division.
Leanna Garner, principal of Qualicum Beach Elementary School, has announced her intention to retire. She joined the district in 2006 from the Quesnel school district where she was a teacher, principal and district staff for 16 years.
Parksville Elementary principal Mary Beil is retiring this summer after eight years in the district and seven years in Alberni where she was a vice-principal, district French coordinator and district cultural coordinator.
Stella Graves, principal of Arrowview Elementary School, is also retiring, having been a teacher in the district since 1994 teaching grades 1, 2 and 3 at Errington Elementary and most grades at French Creek Community School. Before this district, Graves taught at elementary schools in Campbell River, Vancouver and Victoria.