By Sarah Campbell
scampbell@salisburypost.coms
SALISBURY — The principal of Millbridge Elementary School will assume the top spot at Southeast Middle School when Principal Skip Kraft retires at the end of this school year.
David Miller will take over reins as of July 1.
“It’s an opportunity for me to take on a new challenge,” he said. “I absolutely love the staff, students, parents and everything that goes on at Millbridge, but this is a chance to face academic challenges and also the athletic challenge.”
Miller worked as an eighth grade social studies teacher at Erwin and China Grove middle schools before becoming the assistant principal at China Grove Elementary in 2005. From there, he moved on to become principal at Rockwell Elementary before landing at Millbridge, where he has served as the leader since 2007.
“I think my teaching experience at a middle school will definitely help with the transition,” Miller said. “However, I’ve been out for a little while so that brings on new challenges.”
Miller said he decided to pursue a job in administration due to a desire to lead.
“Teaching is a very rewarding profession, but for me the reason I left teaching was because I wanted to be able to help make decisions that affected more than just the students in my class,” he said.
Miller said he’s looking forward to helping the staff transition to the state’s new Common Core and Essential Standards, a model that will provide more course depth.
“It’s about working together side by side to help students learn,” he said. “As principal, I get to work with staff and students.”
It will be difficult to leave Millbridge, Miller said.
“There is such a family atmosphere here among all the staff and a real love for students,” he said. “It really takes something that you think is spectacular to leave something like that behind … I’ve heard nothing but those kinds of things about Southeast.
“I really look forward to going into that welcoming atmosphere that I have heard about, and I just look forward to working with them to try to increase student achievement.”
Kraft will take about a month off before diving back into work with both Rowan and Cabarrus Vocational Opportunities, nonprofit agencies that work to provide vocation training and life skills to adults with disabilities.
He’s been at Southeast since 2004, where he served as assistant principal before taking over the top spot in 2007.
Miller and his wife, Marla, live near China Grove with their two children, Nolan, 9, and Macy, 6. Marla is an exceptional children’s teacher at Shive Elementary.
Contact reporter Sarah Campbell at 704-797-7683.
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