ROCK HILL — Following Monday night’s Board of Trustees meeting, Superintendent Dr. Bill Cook announced two administrative changes that fill vacancies in Rock Hill Schools.
The promotion of Dr. Missy Brakefield to Rock Hill Schools’ Executive Director of Elementary Education allows the district’s 17 elementary schools and early childhood programs to continue without interruption. Brakefield, who has worked in Rock Hill since 1993, has spent the past 15 years as the Director of Federal and Special Programs. Previously, she has been a teacher at Rosewood Elementary and served as a teacher and assistant principal at Belleview Elementary.
Dr. Brakefield brings both an understanding of the district’s hallmarks of strength, vision, and possibilities as well as a sound and long commitment to our teachers, schools, and community. Her experience has afforded her opportunities to progressively work with and alongside elementary school principals to collaboratively support schools.
She holds degrees from Winthrop University, University of South Carolina, and South Carolina State University.
Brakefield replaces Jill Pappas, who announced her resignation last month.
Derek Johnson has been promoted to District Literacy Coach, a role that will allow him to work directly with teachers to improve literacy instruction across the district. Johnson began teaching in Rock Hill Schools in 2005 as a special education teacher at Oakdale Elementary after completing the Program for Alternative Certification of Educators (PACE). Since 2011, he has served at Northside Elementary School as a literacy teacher where he worked with small groups of students providing literacy intervention as well as running records training for classroom teachers.
Johnson replaces Melanie Westmoreland who has moved to Old Pointe Elementary as a reading coach.
He holds his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Winthrop University.