Mahoney next principal at Betz, Fraser to lead new elementary school in 2013

By BECKY THOMAS

Staff Reporter

Carol Mahoney has been named the new principal at Betz Elementary School and Shawna Fraser has been named the “planning principal” for the new elementary school currently under construction in the Cheney School District.

Fraser's and Mahoney's hiring finish a flurry of administrative change in the district. Three schools in the district—Cheney High School, Sunset Elementary School and now Betz—will have new principals come fall.

Mahoney replaces previous Betz principal Kent Martin, who left the job this spring for an administrative position with the Central Valley School District.

Mahoney has been an employee of the Cheney School District for the past 10 years. She has worked as a teacher, instructional coach, principal assistant and most recently as assessment and humanities curriculum coordinator. She studied at Eastern Washington University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in education in 1995 and a master's degree in education in 2000. She earned a principal certification from EWU in 2009.

According to a district press release, Mahoney was chosen to lead Betz Elementary School for her experience with professional development, student assessment and understanding of the school and its needs.

Fraser was hired as a planning principal for the new elementary school scheduled to open fall 2013, but she begins this year providing administrative support at Sunset and Windsor elementary schools, a position previously held by new Sunset principal Matt Beal.

Fraser comes to Cheney from Spokane's Cooper Elementary School, where she worked as a principal's assistant and instructional coach. She has worked 11 years in the Spokane School District.

Fraser also studied at EWU, earning a bachelor's degree in developmental psychology in 1998. She obtained her master's degree in elementary education from Gonzaga University in 2001, and she completed her principal certification at Washington State University in 2009.

A press release said the hiring committee was impressed with the support Fraser received from students and teachers at Cooper.

Fraser and Mahoney were hired during the same application cycle, and were selected out of a pool of 38 applicants.

Becky Thomas can be reached at becky@cheneyfreepress.com.