bporterfield@pvdemocrat.com —
Mia Lisa Wigley is ready to take on that next challenge in her life as she’s been officially named to be the next principal at a Pauls Valley school for the youngest of students.
This week school board members gave their approval for Wigley to step in as the new principal starting next year at Jefferson Early Learning Center, which houses classes for pre-school and kindergarten students.
Wigley will replace longtime PV educator and school administrator Jeanie Menefee, who will retire at the end of the current year.
“When a door opens you need to be ready to take it,” Wigley said a few hours after being named the next JELC principal.
“You need to accept the challenge and do the best you can,” she said. “It’s definitely another challenge for me, and I’m very excited about it.”
Now that she’s tabbed for the job Wigley’s top priority is work toward a smooth transition with the departure of a longtime principal like Menefee and the arrival of someone new in the head administrator’s office.
“Jeanie has done a wonderful job and I only hope I can continue to carry on her rich tradition of love and respect for students, staff and community,” Wigley said.
“I’m hoping to continue that with a smooth transition. It’s very important for the kids to have a smooth transition,” she said.
Wigley is very familiar with this area as she was raised in Wynnewood and graduated high school there.
After a period of being a stay-at-home mom in Wynnewood with three kids, Wigley went back to college and in 1994 earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from East Central University in Ada.
That’s when she got her first job in the field as she taught sixth grade math for five years in Sulphur.
She remained in Sulphur working as the school counselor for grades four through six.
In 2000 she received her master’s degree and got her certification in school counseling for K-12 and elementary principal.
Five years later Wigley arrived in Pauls Valley and has remained at Lee Elementary since then serving as the elementary counselor.
The only tough part about her new challenge as the new JELC principal starting next school year is leaving her school “family” at Lee.
“It’s bitter sweet. I have a family here,” she said.
“It’s going to be hard to leave my friends here, but at the same time I’ve excited going over (to Jefferson).”
Making the recommendation to hire Wigley as the new principal was school Superintendent Darsha Huckabaa.
“She’ll be a good fit for the administrator’s job at Jefferson,” Huckabaa said on Friday.
“She’s an excellent choice with an elementary background, she’s one of the most organized people I know and she’s done an outstanding job the last three years as our district testing coordinator,” the superintendent said.
Huckabaa also believes the transition to a new principal will be a smooth one.
“This was done early enough to give her some time with Mrs. Menefee. That should help make that an easy transition.”
Local News
Related Photos
-
MiaLisa Wigley has been named to be the next principal at Jefferson Early Learning Center. Current principal and longtime PV educator Jeanie Menefee is set to retire at the end of the school year. PV Democrat Photo
Discussion
Wigley to be next JELC principal
- Local News
-
-
Helping meet needs in Moore
-
Home invasion case gets new pleas
A long prison sentence and a couple of guilty pleas came Monday in the case of a couple of violent Pauls Valley area home invasions dating back to 2010.
-
Storm danger threatens much of state
It’s been a busy few days for emergency officials of all kinds with severe storms, some packing powerful tornadoes, threatening to sweep through various parts of Oklahoma.
-
Pauls Valley Wall Cloud
-
Young Grads with Honors
-
Special athletes get special support
It was special to say the least for a group of Garvin County law enforcement officers to see for themselves what an experience the state Special Olympics meet can be.
-
Derby to roll in all day fun
The tracks and vehicles may be much smaller than a national day at the races, but the fanfare and scale of 2013’s Hot Wheels Double Dog Dare Derby is expecting no less enthusiasm as engines set to fire when it returns to Pauls Valley on Saturday, May 25.
-
Still no answers in creek death
There are still plenty of questions with answers not yet released to the public in the case of a dead body found this week in a Pauls Valley creek bed.
-
New Councilman Swear In
-
Authority close to hospital loan
The next crucial step toward keeping Pauls Valley General Hospital around for the long haul is going to require a bit more waiting, but those involved in securing a lifeline are confident stability is just around the corner.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Okla. City Mayor: Up to 13K Homes Hit by Tornado
Raw: Aftermath of Deadly Attack in London
Paperless Scanner, Vision of the Future
Florida FBI Shooting Has Boston Bombing Links
Garcetti Elected Los Angeles Mayor Over Greuel
Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado
IRS Official Pleads 5th Amendment
Lawyer: Feds Investigating Susan Powell Case
Former Rep. Weiner Running for New York Mayor
Jodi Arias: Death Penalty Would Cause More Pain
Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff
Families Begin Returning to Their Homes in Moore
Raw: Aerial View of Moore Tornado Damage
Looking for Love? Take the Prague Metro
First Person: Baby Falcons on a New York Bridge
Crews Race to Find Survivors of Okla. Twister
Oklahoma: Images of Devastation, Reunion
Raw: Students Clash With Police in Chile
Protests Outside Cincinnati IRS Office
New Xbox One Entertainment Console Unveiled
