A longtime administrator will serve as the first principal for the Cobb County School District’s newest middle school.
Dean Yoder will be the new principal of Susan Todd Pearson Middle School when it opens in the fall on the former site of Cobb Horizon High School campus. The school will relieve student populations at Campbell and Griffin middle schools in Smyrna.
Yoder previously served as principal of Fair Oaks Elementary School and assistant principal at Campbell Middle School, Marietta High School, Dunleith Elementary School and the Marietta Center for Advanced Academics, according to his resume shared by the Cobb County School District.
The Cobb County School Board unanimously approved Yoder’s appointment at its Feb. 11 meeting. The district demolished the old Cobb Horizon building and moved its students to a 90,000-square-foot building at the corner of Cobb Parkway and Terrell Mill Road.
Pearson, who died in 2017 at the age of 70, lived in Smyrna and was past president of the Campbell High School Educational Foundation, according to her obituary. She also served on the school district’s Facilities and Technology Citizens Oversight Committee.
Yoder said he’s looking forward to opening a new school because it gives him the opportunity to “build a culture of success and community service within the school and community from the ground floor,” according to a question-and-answer profile compiled by the district.
Yoder said he plans to host a series of virtual town hall meetings to hear from families and students who currently attend Bellmont Hills, Fair Oaks and Green Acres elementary schools, which will feed into the new middle school.
As principal, Yoder said he hopes Pearson Middle School will be known for providing a high-quality education to its students.
“Under my leadership, the community can expect a leader that will create a school environment where everyone is held to high expectations in all that they do, from the front office to the custodians, to the teachers, to the cafeteria,” he said. These same expectations will also be expected of all our students. To be our best, we must be at our best every day – and this what the Pearson community can expect.”
About the Author
