MOULTRIE, Ga. – Colquitt County School System recently announced three administrative promotions.

“We are excited to have the experience and expertise in these critical roles,” School Superintendent Doug Howell said. “The achievement of our students and schools is the driving motivation in all that we do.  We are planning for and looking forward to a successful school year.” 

Mindy Palmer – Cox Elementary Assistant Principal

Mindy Palmer has been named assistant principal of Cox Elementary School. She was previously academic coach at Stringfellow Elementary School.

Previously she taught third and first grades at Annie Belle Clark Primary School in Tift County and at Okapilco Elementary School here. From 2012 to 2015, she worked for the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement as a reading instruction mentor to Thomasville City Schools.

Her degrees include an Associate’s of Arts in Psychology and an Associate’s of Science in Education, both from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, as well as a Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education, a Master’s of Education in Reading Education, and a Specialist in Educational Leadership, all from Valdosta State University.

She shared, “The following quote by St. Jerome was one that my first-grade teacher, Mrs. Charlene DeShields, made us recite each morning following announcements. ‘Good, better, best. Never let it rest. ‘Til your good is better and your better is best.’ Mrs. Deshields begins her 43rd year of teaching 1st grade this year in my hometown of Easton, Maryland. Because she put her students before herself, believed in me, and fostered a love for education in her classroom each day, I was able to reach this goal in my educational journey. This journey is not about me, but about our students that need a champion to help them realize that their dreams can become their reality. I am elated to serve our parents, students, and community stakeholders alongside Dr. Madison and the many champions at Cox Elementary School and within our elite Colquitt County School System!”

Palmer and her husband, Shane, are godparents to Rashod Bateman (age 20) and Travian Ford (age 22), and furbaby Olivia Grace.

Meg Bishop – Information Technology Assistant Director

Meg Bishop, the former assistant principal at Cox, has been named assistant director of information technology.

Bishop started her career in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves, 1992-98, and was a financial analyst at GATX Logistics until 2003, when she became a teacher at First Coast High in Jacksonville, Fla., a position she held until 2006.

She came to the Colquitt County School System in 2006 at C.A. Gray Junior High, where at various times she served as math coach, special education teacher, mathematics teacher, department head and academic coach. She also taught at Funston Elementary, 2010-2014, before returning to C.A. Gray. She became assistant principal at Cox in 2018.

Bishop holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish with a minor in Finance-international studies from East Tennessee State University, as well as a Master of Education – Instructional Technology and a Leadership Certificate, both from Valdosta State University. She expects to complete an Ed.S. Leadership in December 2020.

“To love what you do for a living is a privilege few are fortunate to have,” Bishop said. “We are embarking on urgent and momentous opportunities to support and develop our evolving school technology culture and community.  I am elated to join a team that shares the vision of providing students and staff with exceptional opportunities that will ensure success.”

She and her husband, Bill, have two children, Maggie, a junior at CCHS, and Will, a sophomore at CCHS.

Amanda Horne – Program for Exceptional Children Director

Amanda Horne has been promoted from assistant director to director of the Program for Exceptional Children.

Horne has worked with PEC since 2007. Before that she was a speech language pathologist at Colquitt Regional Medical Center and a special education teacher at Doerun Elementary (2000-2003) and Norman Park Elementary (2003-2007). She began at PEC as an itinerant speech language pathologist serving prekindergarten through 12th grade and was later an IEP specialist before becoming assistant director in 2015.

“I am humbled and excited for the opportunity to continue working with the Program for Exceptional Children (PEC),” Horne said. “I have proudly served the Colquitt County School System the last 20 years as a special educator, speech language pathologist, and the assistant director to PEC, and I look forward to continuing to serve the Colquitt County School System each day with excellence in every way! As director of PEC, I plan to lead our multi-disciplinary staff to do what it takes to reach individualized goals for our exceptional students and give them the tools required to support independence. I look forward to working with the families and community to support this effort. I have always believed that God has a plan, and this verse is an inspiration to me; ‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’ Jeremiah 29:11. Again, I thank the Colquitt County Board of Education for the opportunity to serve as the Director of PEC.”

Horne and her husband, Chad, have two children: Gabe, a senior at CCHS, and Chandler, a freshman at C.A. Gray Junior High.