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By WILLIAM MARLOW / Special to the Reporter

ALABASTER — The Shelby County Board of Education has appointed new principals at both Chelsea Middle School and Calera High School.

Cynthia Cruce will serve as the principal at Chelsea Middle School while Russell Leonard will become an assistant principal at Calera High School. Both appointments were announced during the Board’s June 10 meeting.

Cruce has 29 years of experience as an educator, and is currently an assistant principal at Oak Mountain Middle School, where she has served for the last nine years. Before that, Cruce previously served as the assistant principal at Chelsea Middle from 2006-2012. She told the Board of Education members that she is excited to return to the Chelsea community.

Cruce has a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in secondary education from the University of Alabama. She received both an administrative degree and educational specialist degree from the University of Montevallo.

Russell Leonard has eight years of experience of education, and said he is excited to become an assistant principal at Calera High School. He is a graduate of Auburn University, and has a bachelor’s degree in English language arts and a master’s degree in administration of elementary and secondary education.

Leonard will complete his education specialist degree in educational leadership from the University of Alabama and then hopes to pursue a doctorate in education degree.

He most recently served as the administrative assistant at Helena High School.