New Assistant Principals Tapped In Stafford County

STAFFORD, VA—Two new assistant principals have been approved by the Stafford County School Board, according to Stafford County Public Schools. Mark McElwee will assume the role at T. Benton Gayle Middle School, 100 Panther Drive, and William Kuhnert takes an office at Kate Waller Barrett Elementary School, 150 Duffey Drive.

McElwee is currently a Teacher on Special Assignment and Special Education Department Chair at Stonewall Jackson High in Prince William County. McElwee also has six years of experience as a special education teacher at the high school and middle school levels.

As a teacher of students with autism, he developed and executed a "peer buddies" program in which students of high academic standing worked on a daily basis with students in his classroom. McElwee developed and currently chairs the Social Media Team at Stonewall Jackson that communicates positive news about the school. Too, he supervises the Credit Recovery Program for seniors and serves as the president of the School Planning Council.

McElwee earned a Bachelor of Science degree in public administration with a concentration in
criminal justice from James Madison University. He also earned a Master of Education in special
education from George Mason University.

Since 2013, Kuhnert has been a fourth grade teacher at Waller, and has worked collaboratively with special education teachers and content specialists. He attended numerous professional development activities, including the Ron Clark Academy and Jostens Renaissance conferences. Kuhnert also has served as acting administrator in the absence of both his principal and assistant principal. He began his teaching career in 2011 at Colonial Beach Elementary.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Slippery Rock University and his Post baccalaureate elementary education certification from Robert Morris University, both in Pennsylvania. He's completing his master's degree in educational leadership at George Mason University.