Destin High School has officially announced the hiring of their new Principal, Christine Cruickshank.
According to a press release, Cruickshank has lived in the Northwest Florida area since 2007 and has been a resident of Niceville for the past several years. She was selected from a pool of nearly 200 candidates from across the country.
Cruickshank has thirty-five years of experience focused on education and teaching. Additionally, she has had extensive experience as a school leader in the AdvancED/SACS Accreditation process for schools from daycare to high school. This will be of utmost importance for DHS to acquire their initial accreditation in their first or second year, and then a process that has to be updated and renewed every five years, according to the school.
Since 2010 she has served as the Assistant Principal of the Collegiate High School at Northwest Florida State College, also a charter high school, as well as being a part-time Adjunct Professor of History at the college since 2008.
“Christine Cruickshank is highly-credentialed and possesses all the qualities of a strong Principal,” said Prebble Ramswell, President of the Governing Board. “She is a natural leader with a clear vision of the mission and goals of DHS and is already embracing her primary responsibilities as Principal which includes shaping a vision of academic success for all students, cultivating leadership in others, and hiring, developing, and retaining excellent teachers. We are thrilled to have her on staff. This key leadership role is essential in achieving a successful 2021 – 2022 school year opening at the renovated Grace Lutheran property in Destin.”
“I am so looking forward to a successful launch of DHS, beginning with interacting with students and parents, conducting meet and greets, hosting small group tours of the facility, and listening to student feedback on what they want,” said Cruickshank. “After all, it is their school.”
The DHS Governing Board and Principal Cruickshank will be conducting a Town Hall Celebration on Thursday, February 11, 5:30 p.m., at the future home of DHS (Grace Lutheran) to acquaint potential students, their families and the community to learn more about DHS, the curriculum and more.
