New Principals Named at Redmond Schools

The has selected new principals for the 2011-12 school year at three of Redmond's public schools: , and . In addition, Tina Livingston, the current principal at Rockwell Elementary, will move to .

A new principal has also been named for Kirkland's , which also draws students from Redmond.

Here is more information about the administrative changes, as outlined by the school district:

Karen Barker has been selected to serve as the principal at Dickinson Elementary and Explorer Community School in Redmond. Baker has taught in Oak Harbor School District and Northshore School District for the past 10 years, serving as a math and reading instructor as well as a health and fitness teacher and curriculum developer. Baker earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at Western Washington University and her Masters’ degree from Emporia State University. She graduated from the University of Washington’s Danforth Educational Leadership Program in June.

Matthew Livingston has been selected to serve as the principal of International Community School (ICS) and Community School, both in Kirkland. Livingston comes to LWSD from San Francisco, where he has served as principal of International Studies Academy (ISA), a grades 6-12 school in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), since 2006. Before becoming principal at ISA, Livingston served as principal at Gloria Davis Middle School and at Charles Drew Elementary School, both in SFUSD. Before becoming a principal, he taught middle school mathematics in SFUSD. Livingston earned his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of California San Diego, his Master of Education and administrative credential at San Francisco State University, and his Doctor of Education in Leadership in Education Equity at University of California Berkley.

Kirsten McArdle has been selected as the new principal of Rockwell Elementary in Redmond. McArdle has more than 10 years of experience at the elementary level, serving as a special-education teacher, a fifth-grade teacher, and a kindergarten teacher. McArdle comes to Lake Washington from the Issaquah School District, where she has progressively taken on a variety of building leadership roles over the past seven years, culminating in the completion of her administrative internship at Clark Elementary School this past year. Kirsten earned her Bachelor of Arts in English at Clark University in Worchester, Mass., her Master of Science and Education at Wheelock College in Boston, Massachusetts, and her principal certification at University of Washington’s Danforth Program.

Changes in assignment

• Tina Livingston, the current principal at Rockwell Elementary, will move to Rosa Parks Elementary.

• Cindy Duenas, the current principal at International Community School, Community School and Environmental and Adventure School, will become the planning principal for the .