News from…The Solon City Schools
For Immediate Release
23 May 2005
Contact: Tamara Strom, Coordinator of Communication Services
(440) 349-2914
(440) 666-9706 cell
tstrom@solonboe.org Tebra Stepnicka resigns; Mike Acomb named Orchard Middle School principal SOLON – After 20 years of service in the Solon Schools, Tebra Stepnicka is resigning her post as principal of Orchard Middle School effective July 31. Mrs. Stepnicka is leaving Orchard for personal reasons, announcing her plans to be married and move to Brussels, Belgium, in the fall. Mike Acomb, Orchard’s assistant principal, has been named as her successor and was approved during tonight’s Board of Education meeting. A replacement for Mr. Acomb will be named before the 2005-06 school year begins, according to Solon City Schools Superintendent Joseph Regano. “We all owe a debt of gratitude to Tebra for her contributions to Orchard and the district as a whole,” Mr. Regano said. “She is such a tremendous educator and an expert in curriculum alignment. Her efforts in the area of student instruction will be missed. We wish her the best of luck in all her future endeavors. “At the same time, we are so fortunate to have an administrator like Mike Acomb who will be able to continue the excellence at Orchard,” he continued. “Mike already has a strong rapport with the Orchard teaching staff, our parent community and, most importantly, the Orchard students. The leadership transition should be seamless. We are looking forward to continued gains in student instruction under Mike’s leadership.” Making the decision to leave Orchard was difficult, Mrs. Stepnicka said. Although she will miss the staff and students, she noted that she is excited about this next chapter in her life and the adventure ahead. “My immediate goals will be settling into the culture and learning Dutch,” she added. Mrs. Stepnicka has had ties to Belgium for more than 30 years, having been an AFS exchange student there in the 1970s while in high school. “I feel there is a great leadership team in place at Orchard to continue all the good work that is already under way,” she said. Being named as principal is “exciting and humbling,” said Mr. Acomb, who has spent his entire professional career in the Solon Schools, beginning in 1996 when he was a student teacher in a third grade classroom at Roxbury Elementary. He joined the Roxbury staff full-time in 1997 as a member of the third grade team. In 2001, he was promoted to the leadership role of technology resource teacher to work on curriculum and instruction with students and teachers at Roxbury and Arthur Road Elementary schools. Mr. Acomb is qualified as in interventionist and earned his master’s degree in special education from Kent State University. He is currently working on his doctorate degree in educational administration at Kent State University. “It is an honor and a privilege to be selected to lead Orchard Middle School,” Mr. Acomb said. “This new opportunity will allow the teachers and staff at Orchard to continue their pursuit of the district mission and their collaborative efforts to increase achievement for all students.” Mr. Acomb said he views Orchard as a bridge between the elementary schools and Solon Middle School. “Our objective for Orchard has always been a safe and secure environment in which students can develop responsibility for their actions and become empowered learners,” he said. “Additionally, we are dedicated to achieving our ultimate goal, which is ensuring that our Solon children gain the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in the future.” Citing parent involvement in the schools as a major strength of the district, Mr. Acomb said he is looking forward to building stronger relationships with teachers, parents and students. “Strong partnerships between home and school are critical to the success of our students as they master the rigorous curriculum of a standards-based educational system,” he noted. “I am so proud to be a part of the extraordinary things that continue to happen every day with kids at this school. Orchard is a wonderful place to grow for children and adults.” In other developments related to administrative changes in the Solon Schools, Mr. Regano announced that a search committee is being formed to select the next principal at Roxbury Elementary School in the wake of the retirement of long-time Roxbury principal Henk DeRee. Dr. DeRee recently announced his retirement from the Solon Schools and his intention to pursue another principal position in North Carolina. The search committee will include representation from the school staff and parent community. The process is gearing up quickly, Mr. Regano said, to provide the new administrator as much time as possible to get prepared for the next school year in a new district. # # #
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