Blount County Schools introduces six new administrators for the 2023-24 school year: three principals and three assistant principals. All six were promoted from within Blount County Schools by David C. Murrell, director of schools.
The new principals and assistant principals for Blount County include:
- Connie Gennoe, principal, Lanier Elementary School:Gennoe taught first and second grades at Fairview Elementary School from 2007-21, when she became a learning loss interventionist for the district. Gennoe is a graduate of Pellissippi State Community College, Tusculum University and Lincoln Memorial University. She served as a teacher’s assistant for Blount County Schools while earning her bachelor’s degree.
- Chris Merritt, principal, Fairview Elementary School:Merritt, a graduate of the University of Tennessee and LMU, served as assistant principal at William Blount High School (2012-22) and Mary Blount Elementary School (2022-23) before joining Fairview. Merritt taught math at William Blount from 2001-12.
- Josh Tidwell, principal, Heritage Middle School:Tidwell served as interim principal during the 2022-23 school year. In 2021, Tidwell was named assistant principal at Heritage High School, where he had taught English since 2015. Before joining Blount County Schools, he taught at Cocke County High School. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, LMU and Carson-Newman University.
- Jennifer Bayola, assistant principal, Heritage Middle School:Bayola has two years as a learning acceleration interventionist and literacy coach for BCS. She taught English at Heritage High School from 2015-21. Before joining Blount County Schools, Bayola taught in schools in Knox County and Florida. She is a graduate of Rollins College and Western Governors University.
- Stacey Hoxworth, assistant principal, Mary Blount Elementary School:Hoxworth, a veteran of the U.S. Navy and graduate of Johnson University and LMU, has taught fifth grade at Mary Blount since 2016. He previously taught in Knox County Schools.
- Rachel Persaud, assistant principal, Eagleton College and Career Academy:Persaud has more than 10 years of experience in Blount County Schools. She has taught at Carpenters Middle School (2009-19), Walland Elementary School (2019-22) and Eagleton (2022-23). She earned a bachelor’s degree from Tusculum College and master’s and doctorate degrees from LMU.