2 Geary County schools will have new leadership

JUNCTION CITY (KSNT) - Some schools in Geary County will have new leadership starting the school year this fall.

Friday morning, the Geary County Schools USD 475 Board of Education approved the hiring of two new elementary principals. Daniel Dinkel is the next principal at Lincoln Elementary and Abby Allen will be the principal at Spring Valley Elementary.

According to a release from USD 475, Dinkel will take over at Lincoln Elementary during the 2024-2025 school year. He will take charge after the retirement of longtime principal Kathi Teeter. Currently, Dinkle is an instructional coach at Eisenhower Elementary and has also spent time as a district STEM coach. From 2007- 2015, he was a fourth-grade teacher at Sheridan Elementary.

Allen will replace Spring Valley Elementary principal Sierra Jackson, who will be retiring at the end of this school year. Currently, she is an instructional coach for the Wildcats and has worked at Spring Valley since 2016, where she taught third and fifth grade, according to the release. During her tenure, Allen has worked at many other schools including Seitz Elementary, Lincoln Elementary and Custer Hill Elementary.

The district's Board of Education also approved the hire of a new wrestling coach at Junction City High School (JCHS). Rick Bazan will be the wrestling head coach at Junction City High School for the upcoming season.

According to the release, Bazan graduated from JCHS in 1985 and was a four-time state place winner which included being named state champion at 132 during his senior season. He also contributed to the wrestling team securing its third Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) State Wrestling Championship in program history.

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