New assistant principal named for Tuscola

Well’s promotion to assistant principal rounds out a rare mid-year principal shuffle following the forced retirement of Tuscola Principal Heather Blackmon in the fall-out over the Tuscola football coach controversy.

Casey Conard moved from Waynesville Middle principal to Tuscola principal. Jennifer Reeves moved from Jonathan Valley principal to WMS principal. And Jacob Shelton became the Jonathan Valley principal — creating a vacancy for assistant principal at Tuscola.

Conard said he looks forward to working with Wells, citing her reputation for a great work ethic and leadership abilities.

“Amanda has bought into making Tuscola the best for our students, staff and community,” he said. “She understands the importance of relationships with students and our role in helping them reach their greatest potential post-graduation. She is competitive, loyal and extremely hard-working.”

Conard also described Wells as a “team player” who has extensive knowledge of curriculum and a passion for students.

“She is goal oriented and has phenomenal leadership ability,” Conard added. “In this job, you often spend more time with your administration team than your own family, and we are so fortunate that she will continue to be part of our Mountaineer family as an assistant principal.”

Wells previously taught fifth grade at Clyde Elementary and was the STEM teacher at Waynesville Middle before coming to Tuscola.

Wells received her master’s degree in educational leadership from Gardner Webb and also has a master’s degree in education and human development from the University of Maryland at College Park. Wells started her career in South Carolina following her undergraduate degree from Wofford College. She then began teaching in South Carolina and stayed there for one year before moving to Silver Spring, Maryland, where she taught science at Paint Branch High School.