One road may be ending for Donna Mitchell, but another path is opening up.
Mitchell, who was Middletown High School’s principal until June 30, has moved on from that position, but not from the Appoquinimink School District.
Mitchell will be the grant writer and coordinator for the Appoquinimink Foundation, a funding segment for the district that has not been officially established yet.
“I will establish the foundation,” Mitchell said. “It will be an education foundation that serves as a source of funding that will go to the district.”
Mitchell said her physical location of work will be in the Parent/Teacher Training Center in the Appoquinimink District Office. She said there will be a board that oversees the district’s funds and how they are dispersed.
“The board will determine grant applications,” Mitchell said. “It is a new way of supplementing state and federal funding for education.”
Mitchell dedicated herself as the assistant principal for six years, and as the principal for seven years at MHS.
She said as principal, much of her work involved writing grants and acquiring funds. Mitchell said Superintendent Dr. Tony Marchio thought she would be a good fit for the new position because of her exceptional background in education.
“I’m excited because [the foundation] is a new twist on our area,” Mitchell said. “A lot of [international] schools have viable foundations.”
She said part of her position will involve professional development, which is why she will be located in the Parent/Teacher Training Center. She is enthused because the new position will have her more involved with the public.
“I love corporate America and this is going to entail that,” she said. “I am going to make a connection between the business industry and education.”
Mitchell said the foundation is an untapped aspect of the district. She said no one has specifically focused on grant writing, and the new position is completely different from her old one.
“We really need someone full-time to look at grants and funding,” she said. “It is just a different aspect of education. I like it because I get to work more with the big picture.”
Mitchell said she is interested particularly in high school reform and thinks to effectively change it, the district needs to think “outside of the box” in the funding process.
“The foundation is a start,” she said. “We will look internationally at education for a model.”
Mitchell said her hope of accomplishment for the foundation and her new position is that she will generate much-needed funding for the district.
“I hope it is lucrative,” she said. “Every teacher in every classroom needs to see that we want to take their students to the next level. We should be able to provide what is needed for the classroom.”
Mitchell said she thanks all the parents and students who have graduated from MHS since 1997 for giving her the opportunity to serve as their administrator.
“I have been honored to be the assistant principal and principal of MHS,” she said. “I look forward to continuing to live and work in this community, and will miss all of the exciting things that come with being a high school principal. I will always be a Cavalier at heart.”
