Battle Ground Public Schools

Battle Ground Public Schools announces leadership and principal changes

Updated June 14, 2021 to add assistant principal changes

Battle Ground Public Schools is announcing the following administrative changes for the 2021-22 school year.

Principals

Susannah Woehr will become the next principal of Prairie High School

Susannah Woehr will be joining Battle Ground Public Schools as the new principal of Prairie High School. Woehr comes from the Renton School District where she served as assistant principal at Renton High School. “I am honored and thrilled to be joining the PHS family as your principal,”

Woehr said. “It is my intent to serve the staff, students and families of Prairie so that everyone feels seen and heard, and knows they are a valued member of the community. Go Falcons!” Woehr is replacing Stephanie Watts, who took a job in the district office.

Krishna Smith will be the next principal of Daybreak Primary School

Krishna Smith will take over as the next principal of Daybreak Primary School after Gerald Gabbard took a job outside of the district. Smith was previously assistant principal at Pleasant Valley Middle School before moving to

Amboy this past year. Smith was a successful landscape architect before deciding to pursue education as a second career, becoming an 8th grade teacher prior to moving into an assistant principal role. “Her desire to make a difference in the lives of our youth has drawn her in,” said Shelly Whitten, Assistant Superintendent in charge of Human Resources for the district. “We are lucky to have her leading one of our buildings.”

Assistant Principals

Manny Melo will take over as the new assistant principal and athletic director at Prairie High School, replacing Jason Castro who is leaving for a job outside of the district. Melo was previously a coach and physical education teacher at Tukes Valley Middle School.

Rachelle Simmons will become the new Assistant Principal at Battle Ground High School, replacing Scott Yingling who is moving outside of the area. Simmons was previously assistant principal at Daybreak Middle School.

Angela Sauser will become the new assistant principal at Amboy Middle School, replacing Krishna Smith, who left to take over as the new principal of Daybreak Primary School.  Sauser previously taught seventh grade at Laurin Middle School before becoming an instructional coach at Amboy Middle School this school year.

Joe Manning becomes the new assistant principal at Daybreak Primary School, replacing Solina Journey who took a job outside of the district. Manning previously taught seventh grade at La Center Middle School.

Administrators

Current Deputy Superintendent Denny Waters will become the district’s new Superintendent on July 1, replacing Mark Ross who is retiring. Waters, winner of the 2020 Robert J. Handy Most Effective Administrator Award in a large size school district from the Washington Association of School Administrators, joined Battle Ground Public Schools as an assistant principal at Battle Ground High School in 2007. He became Executive Director of Special Services in 2012 before moving up to deputy superintendent in 2017. 

Shelly Whitten will take over as the district’s next Deputy Superintendent, replacing Waters. Whitten was previously the district’s assistant superintendent in charge of Human Resources. A Battle Ground High School graduate, Whitten was previously director of instructional leadership for secondary education. Before that she was an assistant principal and principal at the former Chief Umtuch Primary School, as well as an assistant principal at Glenwood Heights and La Center Elementary. She was also the first principal of Daybreak Middle School when it opened in 2007. Whitten holds endorsements in elementary education and special education.

 Michelle Reinhardt becomes the new Executive Director of Human Resources, replacing Whitten. Reinhardt had been Director of HumanResources since 2019 after moving over from Maple Grove Primary School where she was previously an assistant principal and principal. Reinhardt also spent time as a 5th grade teacher and special education teacher in a variety of buildings including Chief Umtuch, Captain Strong and Daybreak Middle School.

Michelle Scott joins Battle Ground Public Schools as the district’s new Chief Financial Officer. Scott replaces Meagan Hayden, who relocated outside of the area with her family. Scott was previously Director of Business Services for the Hockinson School District, where she won a 2021 Circle of Excellence Award for Distinguished Business Official of the Year from the Washington Association of School Business Professionals for her work to increase transparency of the district’s financial processes and transactions.

Stephanie Watts, the current principal of Prairie High School, will step into Reinhardt’s former role as Director of Human Resources. Watts became the principal of Prairie High School in 2019 after having served as the assistant principal there since 2012. Before that, she was a physical education teacher at Washougal High School. Watts’ husband is a 1993 graduate of Prairie High School and she has two sons that will graduate from PHS in 2022 and 2026. “I have been very fortunate to be the Principal, as well as a parent of this outstanding school,” Watts said. “The family and community atmosphere at Prairie is very special.”