Berkeley County School District (BCSD) named Heather Ducker, 2023 BCSD Secondary Principal of the Year and current principal of Sedgefield Middle, as interim principal of Berkeley High School (BHS,) and Lynsey Phillips, current Goose Creek High (GCH) assistant principal, as the interim principal of Sedgefield Middle (SFM).
Both administrators will begin their interim roles on Monday, September 11. Current BHS principal, Ms. Katherine Butcher, has taken an extended medical leave of absence.
Ducker says that the request to support BHS during this transition is humbling, and she is committed to supporting the students, staff, and Berkeley community.
“BCSD principals are a tight knit group, and I am more than willing to take on this leadership role to ensure that the BHS students, staff, and community continue to thrive,” said Interim Principal Ducker. “I am a product of BCSD schools so I am very familiar with the standards of academic and extracurricular excellence at BHS. I look forward to working together with the Stags, and I am proud to wear the blue and gold. While I will certainly miss my SFM family, I know that they are in the very capable hands of Ms. Phillips and will continue to grow under her leadership.”
Ms. Ducker joined BCSD in 2001, and served the district as a middle and high school teacher at SFM and GCH for 13 years. In 2014, Ms. Ducker worked as the GCH Academy Coach and Resource Specialist, and, in 2015, was named as the assistant principal at GCH.
Ms. Phillips has spent the last four years as an assistant principal at Goose Creek High, and says her familiarity with the students, families, and community will be an asset during this transition.
“SFM is the feeder middle school to GCH so I am very well acquainted with the students, families, and community,” said Interim Principal Ms. Phillips. “Ms. Ducker is a strong leader and has run this school well so I am excited to have the opportunity to continue to build on the success at Sedgefield. I really do appreciate the opportunity to support them during this transition.”
Ashton Revan, the GCH Academy Coach, will support GCH as an interim assistant principal.