Schools and Education Reporter
Stafford, Va. –– Officials named four new administrators to fill positions at schools in Stafford County.
Lisa Besceglia, a former special education teacher and assistant principal at Dixon-Smith Middle School since 2005 has been named the principal. She replaces Principal Steve Trant who opened the school in 2006 and has spent 36 years working within the school system, said Stafford County Public Schools spokeswoman Valerie Cottongim.
A farewell ceremony was held for Trant on Tuesday afternoon.
Besceglia has taught at Dixon-Smith for six years and holds degrees from California University of Pennsylvania and George Mason University.
At Stafford Middle School, Mark Smith has been named the new principal. He began teaching in 1995 at North Stafford High School.
In 2003 he became the assistant principal at Gayle Middle School, and in 2005 he was named assistant principal of Mountain View High School. Smith holds degrees from the University of Virginia and George Mason University.
On the county level, Pam Kahle was named the new Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education and Support Services. Kahle has worked for Stafford County Public Schools since 1983 when she began as a kindergarten teacher at Hartwood Elementary School.
During her tenure with the county Kahle also served as assistant principal at Widewater and Garrisonville Elementary Schools. She has served as principal of Garrisonville Elementary since 1994.
In 2000, Kahle was named Stafford County Principal of the Year and has also won the Washington Post’s Distinguished School Principal Award, “Project Great Idea” award, and “Golden Rule Award.” Kahle holds degrees from Longwood College and the University of Virginia.
Lisa Martin will serve as Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education and Support Services. Martin previously taught in Florida, Richmond, and Portsmouth before coming to Stafford in 1994 as assistant principal of North Stafford High School.
In 1998 Martin began as principal at Colonial Forge High School where she has worked for the last 13 years. Martin was this year’s Principal of the Year for Stafford County. Martin has earned degrees from the University of Central Florida, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Virginia Commonwealth University.
