Friday, May 17, 2024
Two new principals have been named to replace the out-going principals at the Gatesville Primary School and Gatesville High School, Gatesville Independent School District officials announced.
According to GISD superintendent Dr. Barrett Pollard, during the selection process to find new principals, a large committee made up of staff members from the prospective campuses sifted through applications, developed interview applications, and then interviewed multiple candidates before making the final selection. The administration then vetted the lone finalist before the school board for approval.
“I believe our hiring committee made an excellent choice in their selection of the lead principals at the high school and primary campuses,” Pollard said.
In a statement made by GISD, the following bios were recently submitted to the public via the school’s Facebook page.
Liz Shoaf grew up in Gatesville and graduated from GHS in 1998. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree and her teaching certificate from St. Edward's University in Austin and her master’s in Educational Administration from Lamar University. She has spent 16 of her 20 years in education as a classroom teacher and served as the Gifted and Talented Coordinator and teacher for Gatesville ISD during the 2017-2018 school year. During the 2020-2021 school year, she joined the high school team as Assessment and Academic Advisor and has been an Assistant Principal on the campus since the fall of 2021.
She is passionate about students and learning. She is committed to supporting teachers, building relationships with students and families, and strengthening community partnerships. "I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve the high school campus. I respect and treasure the students and staff and plan to start the next school year and each day focused on my ‘why’ and making a difference.”
She and her husband Dustin have two children.
Van Collins has served Gatesville ISD since 2010, most recently as an assistant principal at the intermediate. Prior to this leadership position, he spent 12 years at the high school as a math teacher and coach. While at GHS, Collins served as the math department chair for two years, helped sponsor the National Honor Society for 10 years, and taught upper-level math courses including Calculus, College Algebra, Statistics, and Precalculus. He was an assistant football coach for nine years and a soccer coach for 12, including a five-year stint as the boys’ head coach from 2012 to 2017.
A native of Stephenville, Collins earned a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Texas A&M University before completing a master's degree in Educational Administration from Lamar University.
Collins and his wife Jeannie, a social studies teacher at GHS, have three children. Owen is in fourth grade, Dylan is in second grade, and Evie currently attends the PreK 3 program at Let's Grow Learning Center.
Collins is excited to continue to serve the families of this community and the faculty and staff of Gatesville ISD in his new position.
According to Dr. Pollard, “The new principals will officially take over after graduation in May. However, they are already fulfilling some duties as lead principals as the transitions begin.”
