INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — The incoming principal of Incline High School will arrive at a time when Incline schools are undergoing a season of tremendous change, highlighted by the planned implementation of International Baccalaureate for the upcoming 2010-11 school year.

Stacey Cooper, an Ohio native, was announced as the new Incline High School principal — and K-12 administrator for all Incline public schools — at a Washoe County School District staff meeting on Friday, June 4.

Cooper's focus as K-12 administrator will be on daily operations at the high school, but will also have added responsibilities of aligning district resources throughout the three schools, setting a vision for the entire Incline campus and helping coordinate IB implementation, according to previous interviews with Washoe County School District Deputy Superintendent Pedro Martinez.

According to the school district, Cooper is a bilingual educator with an extensive background in administration and teaching. She is currently the executive director of secondary education and principal at Malabar Middle School for the Mansfield City School District in Richland, Ohio. She has also served as the part-time Interim superintendent within the district.

“She had one of the most impressive interviews that I participated in during our search process for the Incline position.” said Rick Borba, Chief Officer of School Performance for the WCSD, in a Friday press release. “One of the most important attributes that became clear about Cooper was her passion and commitment for all students, and school reform.”

In all, four candidates were interviewed for the position, including two internal candidates and two from outside the district.

Cooper is eager to introduce herself to the community, Borba said.

“When I notified her that she got the position, the first thing she said was that she needed to get out and meet people in the community, as well as parents and students as soon as possible,” he said.

Cooper's official start day with WCSD is July 1, 2010. She replaces John Clark, who is retiring at the end of the school year after serving more than 32 years with WCSD.

More to come

Stay tuned to www.tahoebonanza.com and read Thursday's print edition for updates to this story.

Cooper's resume Stacey Cooper, the incoming principal for Incline High School, possesses the following qualifications: • Graduated cum laude from the University of Findlay with a bachelor of arts in Spanish and bilingual education. • Graduated summa cum laude from the University of Findlay with a masters of education in administrative education. • Experience as a high school principal for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. • Experience as a teacher-leader for the Lima City School District in Lima, Ohio. • Current executive director of secondary education at Malabar Middle School for the Mansfield City School District. • Current principal of Malabar Middle School for the Mansfield City School District.