AIKEN, S.C. (WFXG) – Aiken County Public School District has announced the appointment of three new principals for the 2024-2025 school year.

Shunte Dugar will be the new principal at Schofield Middle School. Dugar has been making a significant impact at New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet School, where she has served as principal since 2013.

“Transitioning to the role of principal at Schofield Middle School after serving at New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet School for 11 years brings a mixture of emotions, challenges, and opportunities,” Dugar expressed. “I am excited about the possibilities this new position holds and am committed to making a positive and lasting impact at Schofield.”

The Aiken County Board of Education approved Dugar’s new role on April 23, 2024. She will officially begin her duties at Schofield Middle School in July.

Dugar has faithfully served Aiken County Public Schools for 17 years, starting as a school counselor at New Ellenton Middle School and later at Jackson STEM Magnet Middle before moving into administration. In 2010, she became an assistant principal at Paul Knox Middle School before returning to New Ellenton as principal in 2013.

Dugar has also served as a Principal Mentor and was named Aiken County Public School District’s Principal of the Year in 2022-23. She has been selected to the District’s Principal of the Year Honor Court seven times, most recently for the 2024-25 school year.

Dugar holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of South Carolina Aiken, a Master of Science in School Counseling, and an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership and Supervision from Cambridge College.

The Schofield community is invited to meet Mrs. Dugar on Thursday, July 18, 2024, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. during the “Walk Your Schedule” event at Schofield Middle School.

The district also announced Thurston Williams as the new principal of New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet School.

Williams, previously an assistant principal at Kennedy Middle, has over a decade of teaching experience ranging from Special Education to Mathematics, along with administrative experience at both middle and high school levels. The Aiken County Board of Education approved Williams’ appointment on May 14, 2024.

“My intrinsic motivation, ambition, and calling drew me to the principalship at New Ellenton Middle School,” Williams shared. “I’ve seen from a distance the results of teachers’ hard work at New Ellenton. Everyone I’ve met had only glowing things to say about the school, community, and supportive co-workers.”

Williams began his career as a special education paraprofessional at Langford Middle School in Richmond County in 2009. He taught math at Tutt Middle and Lucy C. Laney High from 2011-2018, then served as a math teacher, department chair, and mentor teacher at the Alternative Center at Morgan Road in Richmond County until 2021. He joined Aiken County Public Schools as an assistant principal at North Augusta High School in 2021 and has spent the past two years as an assistant principal at Kennedy Middle School.

The community is invited to meet Mr. Williams on Thursday, July 18, 2024, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. during the “Walk Your Schedule” event at New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet School.

Angela Moore has been appointed as the new principal of Aiken High School.

Moore, a former student of Aiken High, expressed her joy at returning to her alma mater. “I am incredibly honored to have the opportunity to give back to the same community and school that shaped my own education and growth,” she shared. “My personal experience as a student and teacher at Aiken High School gives me a unique understanding of the school's culture, values, and challenges. I am excited about the chance to inspire the next generation of students, just as my teachers and mentors did for me.”

Moore’s appointment was approved during the regular meeting of the Aiken County Board of Education on June 11, 2024. She will begin her new role at Aiken High School in July.

Her educational career began at Aiken High School in the late 90s as a special education teacher. Moore is returning from Richmond County Schools in Augusta, Georgia, where she has taught and led various programs, services, and schools since 2004.

Moore’s experience includes teaching students with specialized needs at Laney High School and Westside High School, leading a Richmond County summer school site, and serving as an administrative intern at the county’s Performance Learning Center. She became an assistant principal at Richmond County Career and Technical Magnet School in 2016, then transitioned to Richmond County’s Innovation Academy in 2019, where she prepared the school for its opening as Principal of the Girls’ Academy. Moore later served as a program specialist in the Special Education Department and was an assistant principal at Cross Creek High before becoming principal of Glenn Hills Middle School in 2022.

The public is invited to welcome Mrs. Moore back to Aiken High School on Thursday, July 18, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. during the “Walk Your Schedule” event.

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