With final approval granted by the school board Monday night, Sarah Simon and Tara Koch became two of Chippewa Valley’s newest principals, accepting posts at Shawnee and Huron elementary schools, respectively.

A graduate of Chippewa Valley High School, Simon has been with the district since 2002 as a teacher. In 2010, she became a full-time assistant principal at Shawnee and now steps into the role of principal recently vacated by the retiring Christine Robershaw.

“Thank you so much for this opportunity. It really is a dream come true,” Simon said, addressing the board Monday night. “I’m a Chippewa graduate so I’ve been with Chippewa Valley Schools for forever … I’ve been working very hard for four years to build relationships with the staff and community of Shawnee so I really feel I’ll be able to make a smooth transition. Chris has left some very big shoes to fill but I’m up for the challenge of fulfilling Shawnee’s longtime tradition of excellence.”

Superintendent Ron Roberts remembers Simon as “quite a vivacious” student during her time at Wyandot Elementary School and said he hopes her “spirit” from those years will continue going forward.

Huron Elementary School also gained a new principal Monday in Tara Koch. Koch came to the district in 2000 from East Detroit Public Schools and has since served as a special education teacher, special education supervisor, fifth-grade teacher, and assistant principal at Dakota High School–a wide variety of roles that Roberts said should provide her with “great skill" in her new position.

Koch succeeds longtime Huron Elementary Principal Scott Burns.

“I am so grateful this opportunity,” Koch said. “I’ve played school ever since I was a little girl and I’ve always wanted to be a teacher and then one day an administrator. This is a journey I’m very much looking forward to.”