Springfield Public Schools press release:

Chris Mendel has been selected as the principal for the new southwest elementary school which will open in August 2009. The Springfield school board approved her appointment during its executive session last night.

The new southwest elementary school is being constructed to relieve crowding at Wanda Gray and McBride elementary schools. Construction of the 58,980-square-foot school building, which will serve students in grades K-4, is funded by the 2006 bond initiative.

Mendel currently serves as principal of Gray Elementary School. She joined SPS in 1990, teaching at both McGregor Elementary School and Carver Middle School before leaving to work for the Lee’s Summit School District as a sixth-grade teacher and administrative substitute from 1997 to 1999. She returned to SPS where she was appointed assistant principal at Jarrett Middle School. In 2001, Mendel was named principal of Sherwood Elementary School, where she served for three years.

Mendel will assume her new duties Jan. 5, 2009. In the next few months she will hire staff for the new school, coordinate with contractors on completion of the project and engage the new school community.

Angie Carder will replace Mendel as principal at Gray Elementary School. Currently serving as administrative services liaison, she began her teaching career with SPS as an elementary teacher in 1994, eventually working at Doling, Twain, and McBride elementary schools. In 2006, she was appointed assistant to the principal at Gray and Disney elementary schools.

Cherie Norman, a teacher at Gray Elementary School, will fill the administrative services liaison vacancy left by Carder. She has taught at Gray 15 years and served as an elementary principal for summer school in 2007 and coordinator of extended learning in 2008.