Royal Oak Names Middle School Principal & Special Ed. Director
(Becky McLennan, Royal Oak Schools, July 26, 2014)
Todd Noonan, a former teacher at Royal Oak High School, is returning to the district as the new Principal of Royal Oak Middle School.
He taught Social Studies at Royal Oak High School, as well as served as Dean/Student Accounting Advisor. Subsequently, he was an Assistant Principal in the Plymouth-Canton School District.
Noonan received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Spanish from Kalamazoo College and a Master of Arts Degree in Educational Leadership from Wayne State University. He was also selected for the Oakland County Aspiring Principals’ Leadership Academy, an internship-based professional development program.
The Royal Oak Middle School position was open following the retirement of Mrs. Zoe Marcus.   In filling the position, the district reviewed nearly 200 applications, interviewed ten candidates in the first round, and had second round interviews with three finalists. In commenting on the process, Superintendent of Schools Shawn Lewis-Lakin said: “Through this rigorous process – which included board members, parents, teachers, and board office leadership – Mr. Noonan rose to the top.   I am looking forward to working with him.”
Royal Oak Schools also has appointed a new Directory of Special Education, Jane Flarity-Gram, who was serving as Principal of Royal Oak’s Addams Elementary and Addams Early Childhood Center.
In addition to being an experienced building administrator, Jane has over 20 years of special education teaching and leadership experience. She began her career in Hazel Park where she served in varied roles: kindergarten teacher, speech and language therapist, teacher for the pre-primary impaired and Project Find coordinator. Subsequently she served as Principal of Otter Lake, Otisville and Columbiaville Elementary Schools in the Lakeville Community School District and Principal of Syring Elementary School in the Swartz Creek Community School District.
Ms. Flarity-Gram received her undergraduate degree from Western Michigan University in Elementary Education & Speech & Language Pathology, a Master’s degree from Michigan State University in Speech and Language Pathology, and an Education Specialist degree from Wayne State University in Administration.
The district’s search for a new special education director was prompted by the resignation of former director, Michelle DeJaeger. The position’s posting yielded over 40 applications. Six candidates participated in first round interviews and three candidates were invited back for second round interviews. According the Superintendent of Schools Shawn Lewis-Lakin, “Board members, parents, teachers, and board office leadership were all involved in a very thorough process that led to this decision. I am looking forward to continuing to work with Jane as she provides leadership for us in this critically important role.”
For more information on Royal Oak Schools visit their website at http://www.royaloakschools.org/.
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