In its effort to boost its curriculum standards and state accreditation, New Public School District 8 has hired Lori Olson as its new elementary principal.

“She will go back and forth from Garden Valley School and Round Prairie School,” said District 8 Superintendent Greg McNary.

McNary will double his duties as Stony Creek School’s principal, but will serve as superintendent for all the schools.

“It comes down to the number of minutes that DPI (Department of Public Instruction) requires,” McNary said. “We’ve worked very closely with them to make sure that we are within the state limits - so we can not only maintain our accreditation, but make it better.”

Olson served two years as federal programs Director at the Eight Mile School District in Trenton. She also functioned as the business/computer teacher/technology coordinator for the Grenora Public School District. There she taught grades seven through 12 in desktop publishing, business computers, keyboarding and accounting, web page design and business law classes.

Fort the 1998-1999 school year, she served as Title IX and program director/tutor for Williston Public School District 1.

Olson also was Title IX and Johnson O’Malley program director at Williston High between 1998 and 1999.

Between 1997 and 1998, she was a Title IX program director and a tutor for the Anadarko Public School District in Anadarko, Okla.

Sue Ceglowski also has been hired on as District 8’s new math instructor. She previously taught at Trinity Christian School in Williston. She will work with middle school students at Garden Valley.

He said Ceglowski has between 10 and 15 years of experience.

“She is excited to come aboard because she can start those advanced math courses out there with the seventh and eighth graders,” McNary said. “We are excited to have her. We are still going to offer the regular math classes. This is one of those things we thought it through very well. It will help us sort things out.

McNary said all 10 school bus routes have drivers so parents will not drive their children to school during the 2008-2009 school year.