At the Saturday, June 30 DeSoto Independent School District Special Called Meeting, the Board of Trustees approved the hire of four new administrators in the district.
The Board approved Whyndii Dunn as the principal for Northside Elementary. Dunn has served as an assistant principal in DeSoto ISD since 2013 with appointments at Amber Terrace, Woodridge and, most recently, as the K-5 Summer School Principal in DeSoto ISD. Prior to her work in DeSoto ISD, Dunn has had prior experiences as instructional technologist, an instructional coach and teacher.
In addition to Dunn’s appointment at Northside Elementary, the Board approved Angela Robinson as the new principal of Cockrell Hill Elementary. Robinson held a number of administrative appointments in Lancaster Independent School District prior to her appointment as in DeSoto ISD. Robinson is described as forward-thinking leader with a track record of success for improving educational systems through strategic planning and program and curriculum development.
Dr. Bridget Nevels was approved as the new principal for Curtistene S. McCowan Middle School. Nevels is described as an accomplished administrator with expertise in leadership, innovation and transformational strategies to best impact a school’s community. Most recently, Nevels served as the principal of the Lancaster STEM Early College High School where she provided vision and leadership to create a STEM-focused, college-going culture; directed curriculum planning, alignment and execution with teaching staff to address data trends and facilitated data-driven, reflection protocols to improve performance and pedagogy. Nevels prides herself on engaging parents and community in the school environment. Nevels has also held administrative appointments at an elementary international baccalaureate campus and Dallas Independent School District’s Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center and has served as an adjunct professor in the Dallas County Community College District.
Dinardo Bazile was appointed as the next leader for West Middle School. Bazile is described as a dedicated, resourceful educator who is focused on developing a school culture that encourages continuous learning, promotes a safe learning environment and fosters collaboration among faculty, staff and parents. Bazile comes to DeSoto ISD from Keller Independent School District where he most recently served as the district’s Career and Technical Education Coordinator. In that role, Bazile oversaw the CTE operations of 39 campuses supporting, facilitating and coordinating secondary Career and Technical Education pathways. Bazile also served as a campus administrator in Keller ISD and Arlington Independent School District.
DeSoto ISD administrators co-facilitated a selection committee that included district students, parents and community members with the goal of identifying strong, experienced leaders for district campuses.