Starting this fall a Cowboy will lead the Buffaloes.
Jeff Hamm, principal at Grantsville Elementary School, will take reigns of Tooele High School effective July 1.
The new principal for THS is part of several adjustments in building administrators for the 2015-2016 school year announced Tuesday by Scott Rogers, Tooele County School District superintendent.
“I don’t want people to think these changes are for performance or some kind of disciplinary issue,” he said. “A change in assignment is not intended to be punitive at all. One of my primary job responsibilities is to allocate personnel resources and to ensure all of our educational programs for continued growth, efficiency and success.”
Hamm will replace current THS Principal Bill Gochis. Gochis will take over as principal of Tooele Junior High School from Principal Terry Linares.
Gochis, a 1975 graduate of THS, taught criminology at THS for seven years and then served as the school’s assistant principal for two years. He was named principal of THS in 2008.
“Bill has given his heart and soul to Tooele High School and has accomplished some great things while he served as principal,” Rogers said.
Linares will return to retirement at the end of the current school year, Rogers said. She retired as district superintendent in 2013.
“Terry helped us out when we needed somebody and did a wonderful job,” Rogers said,
Hamm started his career in education in Parowan teaching French and English and coaching basketball.
He moved to Grantsville in 1995, where he taught English and French for four years at Grantsville High School. He also coached basketball at GHS before being appointed assistant principal of the school in 1998.
He took over as principal at Grantsville Elementary in 2002. Hamm was appointed as the district’s elementary education director in 2008. He returned to Grantsville Elementary to reopen the school in 2011 after it was rebuilt following a fire.
Other and administrative changes announced Tuesday include a new principal for Middle Canyon Elementary.
Jerri Sagers, who was appointed last year as assistant principal at THS, will move to Middle Canyon Elementary as principal.
Prior to working at THS, Sagers was a behavioral specialist with the district’s special education department.
Sagers will replace Dave Whiting at Middle Canyon Elementary. Whiting will move to Tooele Junior High as assistant principal.
Whiting came to Middle Canyon Elementary in March 2010 to serve as principal. He was the assistant principal at Clarke Johnsen Junior High.
Donna Goss, who has been the district’s director of federal programs for the last year, will move to THS as an assistant principal.
Goss previously worked as an administrative intern and counselor at Stansbury High School.
Larry Abraham, who left the post of principal at TJHS last fall to be the assistant principal at Dugway Schools, will take over as the director of federal programs for the district.
“I wish to acknowledge and thank all of these fine school administrators for years of contributions and jobs well-done in their current assignments,” said Rogers. “Their accomplishments and contributions have been many and they have made a positive difference. With change comes a bit of fear, but much opportunity for growth and improvement.”