Armstrong named Gainesville grades 7-12 principal


Ericka Armstrong

Ericka Armstrong was hired for the job of principal of Gainesville grades 7-12 at the Nov. 14 board meeting of the Gainesville school board. Armstrong, currently the Gainesville Junior High principal, is in her second year at Gainesville and will move into the job July 1. She replaces current GHS principal Justin Gilmore, who was hired Nov. 4 to take the Gainesville superintendent’s job in July, replacing the retiring Jeff Hyatt. 

Armstrong grew up in Summersville, graduating from Summersville High School in 2002. She comes from a family with a tradition in education. Her father, Rick Spacek, was a school superintendent, retiring from Fordland schools. He is currently the pastor of First Baptist Church in Ava. Her mother, Donna Spacek, is a retired school nurse who occasionally fills in at Gainesville.

Armstrong and her husband, Gary, were married in 2004. They now live in Wasola with their three children: McCartney, 12; Myles, 9; and Charlotte, 5. All attend Gainesville schools. Gary Armstrong works for Nixa-based txt2give and also owns his own business, Gary Armstrong Photography.

Armstrong holds an associate degree in agricultural business from Mineral Area College in Park Hills, south of St. Louis. She earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education, focusing on English, from Missouri State University, a master’s degree in educational administration from William Wood University in Fulton and a specialist’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Arkansas State University. She’s currently pursuing a doctoral degree in educational leadership at Evangel University. 

As grades 7-12 principal, Armstrong said her goals are to continue fostering positive relationships between students and staff, create more opportunities for both college-bound and career-bound students and “continue to show everyone why they should be proud to be Gainesville Bulldogs.”

Ozark County Times

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