By Sarah Campbell
scampbell@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY ó The School Improvement Grant coordinator at Henderson Independent High School will be taking over the top spot as of Friday.
Dr. Christopher J. Vecchione will serve as the interim principal at the alternative school through the end of June. He will also continue in his role as grant coordinator for the implementation of the federal grant of nearly $2.2 million.
The Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education made the decision to appoint Vecchione during a called emergency meeting Tuesday.
ěHeís very knowledgeable, and, from what I hear, has the support of the staff and thatís key,î school board Chairman Dr. Jim Emerson said.
Prior to working at Henderson, Vecchione served as the principal at Southwestern Randolph High School in Asheboro and worked as an adjunct professor at High Point University.
Emerson said combining the position of principal and grant coordinator could make the school stronger.
ěBefore we had one person controlling the money and the other running the school,î he said. ěNow you donít have two captains of one ship.î
A portion of the grant money has been used to get Henderson up to par with the rest of the schools in the county in regards to technology.
The campus is now fully wireless and every teacher and student is equipped with a Macbook computer. The school also has interactive whiteboard, document cameras and LCD projectors now.
The school has also added a science lab and is working to construct a media center and a mental health counseling suite.
Retired Rowan-Salisbury School System Principal Dr. Kenny Isenhour has been serving as interim principal since Trisha Baptist resigned from the role Aug. 29 after being placed on paid suspension July 5.
Baptist filed a lawsuit against the school board Sept. 9, accusing the board of discriminating against her and the students who attend the school because of their race.
School officials and board members have declined to comment on the case because it is a personnel issue.