District names new SSHS principal
■ Robert Lindley comes to Siloam Springs after several years at Rogers High.
Robert Lindley, assistant principal of Rogers High School, was hired as the new Siloam Springs High School principal on Tuesday.
School board members voted to hire Lindley to replace Anne Martfeld, who submitted her resignation a week earlier on July 8. Martfeld was also hired as the Pea Ridge assistant superintendent for special services on July 8.
Lindley, who earned his education specialist degree from the University of Arkansas, has 30 years of experience in education and has served as assistant principal at Rogers High School since June 2016. Before that he served as assistant principal at Springdale Har-Ber High School and principal at Valley View High School.
“With Anne turning in her resignation a week ago yesterday, we’ve had a busy week and I appreciate my team for coming together and making contacts and getting applicants interested,” said Superintendent Jody Wiggins said at Tuesday night’s meeting.
A total of 16 people applied for the position and five were interviewed, he said. A committee composed of eight administrators spent all Saturday interviewing candidates, he said.
“We felt very fortunate to have great quality applicants and be able to hire someone who has an extensive background as a high school principal and has a lot of knowledge about how high schools are run,” Wiggins said. “He has a background with professional learning communities, which is one of our main three focus areas this year and how response to intervention works in other districts.”
In other business, the school board voted to accept Martfeld’s resignation.
We felt very fortunate to have great quality applicants and be able to hire someone who has an extensive background as a high school principal and has a lot of knowledge about how high schools are run.
— Jody Wiggins
In her resignation letter, Martfeld wrote that she was offered the position of assistant superintendent of special services at the Pea Ridge School District and requested the school board release her from her contract for the 2019-20 school year so she could pursue the opportunity.
“These positions are not open very often in our region of the state, which led me to inquire about this possible move for the upcoming school year,” she wrote.
She also wrote that she greatly appreciates the time and experience she has gained in her role as Siloam Springs High School principal.
“Serving the students, families and staff of Siloam Springs High School has been the best professional experience of my career,” she wrote. “I have enjoyed this challenge, and with your guiding leadership, I felt led to pursue opportunities of leadership at the district level.”