By Andy Klotz—
Assistant principals and English Learners leader also added
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Muncie Community Schools (MCS) Board of Trustees added two new principals and three other leaders to the district during Monday’s regularly scheduled meeting. Another administrator has also transitioned into a new assistant principal role serving two MCS elementary schools.
The board approved the hiring of the following people:
- Ben Williams – Principal, Northside Middle School
- Aiesha Allen – Principal, North View Elementary
- Kayla Arguello – Asst. Principal, Muncie Central High School
- Randy McCracken – Asst. Principal, Southside Middle School
- Kelsey Pavelka – Teacher and Director of English Learners
Williams joins MCS after spending five years as principal of Mt. Vernon Middle School (MVMS) in Fortville, Ind., following four years as the school’s assistant principal. At MVMS, he led student academic progress improvement programs and a $25 million multi-year school renovation. He holds a Bachelors in Mathematics and a Masters in Educational Administration from Ball State University. He is also a graduate of the Indiana Principal Leadership Institute.
Allen is a longtime MCS employee, having served as a West View Elementary teacher for 15 years before being promoted to the Master Teacher position at North View last year. She has a Bachelors in Early childhood Education from the University of Ohio and a Masters in Educational Administration from Ball State.
Arguello, a Muncie native, has spent the past three years as assistant principal at Decatur Middle School near Indianapolis and has 10 years of education experience overall. She received the “Academic Top Ten Award” three different years while at Franklin Central High School from 2016 to 2021. She holds a Bachelors in Spanish Education from Indiana University and a Masters in School Administration from Indiana Wesleyan.
McCracken joined MCS as temporary interim principal at Grissom Elementary during Brittany Charles’ pregnancy leave and then moved to Southside to assist the new principal there. He enjoyed it so much, he decided to become a full-time employee when offered the assistant principal position full-time.
“Being at Southside has been a good experience, and I think there are a lot of good things happening at Southside,” McCracken said. “There are a lot of good things happening at Muncie schools, and I appreciate all the support I’ve had. It feels real comfortable.”
McCracken fills the vacancy left by Tameka Wilson who moved into a new position at the end of last school year. She now serves as assistant principal to both Grissom Elementary and East Washington Academy.
Pavelka rejoins MCS after a year away. She returns as the teacher and director of English Learners for the entire district. Previously, she taught in the Spanish Dual Language Immersion Program at West View Elementary where she received numerous awards and accolades. Her focus now will be to grow and strengthen the English Learners program, which has already grown significantly with the Afghan refugees who joined the district last year.
“Our public schools are the pathway to providing every child with a quality education where they are safe, inspired and empowered to create a better future for themselves and their families,” she said. “Creating this role shows that the MCS Board of Trustees is committed to the success of all our multilingual families in Muncie, and I am excited to expand and innovate our approaches to multilingual education.”
About Muncie Community Schools
Serving the local community since 1855, Muncie Community Schools (MCS) educates more than 5,000 students at six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school while also managing several other educational facilities. Through its unique partnership with Ball State University, MCS strives to maximize each student’s potential so he or she can be a positive, productive member of society. Find out more about MCS or Director of Public Education and CEO Lee Ann Kwiatkowski at muncieschools.org.
