The Merrillville Community School Corporation Board of School Trustees approved Superintendent Nick Brown’s recommendation last night to appoint three new administrators to begin July 1 for the 2022-23 school year: a director of student services, diversity, equity and inclusion; an elementary school principal and intermediate school assistant principal.
Candace Lillie, Merrillville High School assistant principal, will become the director of student services, diversity, equity and inclusion. She will be responsible for coordinating, supporting and growing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives throughout the district such as S.T.A.N.D. (Socially Together and Naturally Diverse) Clubs, IMPACT Day and other student/staff programs.
Lillie will also represent the school corporation by serving on various district and community committees and organizations, such as the Urban League, NWI Civil Rights Organization and university diversity programs.
She is experienced with Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and restorative practices to help foster and maintain effective and inclusive learning environments.
Lillie has served as assistant principal for six years and started with the corporation 18 years ago as a classroom teacher. She holds a master’s degree from Ball State University.
Sharon Igras, Pierce Middle School assistant principal, will become the new principal of Wood Elementary School. Igras has been in education since 1990 and began her career as a math teacher in Merrillville in 2002.
She has held the position of assistant principal since 2013 and earned her master’s degree from Ball State University.
Kasey Rogers was appointed assistant principal of Merrillville Intermediate School. Rogers has served as dean of students since 2020 and has been with the corporation since 2019. She holds a master’s degree from Purdue University.
“We are excited about these new appointments for the 2022-23 school year,” said Superintendent Nick Brown. “We hope our new administrators enjoy their new roles in the school corporation.”
These promotions arrive on the heels of recently announced administrative changes for the upcoming school year: Christine Waugh, Ed.S., Michael Megyesi, and LaFonda Morris, Ed.S., will be reassigned within the school corporation.
Waugh, assistant principal at Iddings Elementary School and coordinator of the corporation’s preschool program, will transfer into the new position of director of early childhood and student support programs. She will be responsible for oversight and supervision of the preschool program, high ability program, Title 1 Program, and English Language Learner (ELL) Program.
Waugh has been an administrator in the corporation since 2013 and holds an Ed.S. degree from Indiana State University. Waugh is a graduate of Merrillville High School.
Megyesi, principal of Fieler Elementary School, will transfer to Clifford Pierce Middle School to serve as the school principal. Megyesi, a graduate of MHS, started with the school corporation years ago as a teacher and returned in 2019 with administrative experience to serve as principal. He has seven years of experience as a middle school principal with Duneland Schools. Megyesi earned his master’s degree from Ball State University.
Morris, principal of Clifford Pierce Middle School, will transfer to Fieler Elementary School to serve as the school principal. Morris has more than 17 years of service in school leadership and has been with the school corporation for 23 years. She earned her Ed.S. degree from Indiana Wesleyan University.