Alumna and Triple Dawg named elementary school principal

A College of Education alumna and University of Georgia Triple Dawg has been named principal of Oconee County Primary School in Watkinsville, Georgia.

Jennifer Whitaker (B.S.Ed. '01, M.Ed. '03, Ed.S. '07) officially began her new position July 1, although this is not the first time she has walked the halls of Oconee County Primary School; she served as assistant principal there from 2010 to 2017.

For the past year, she served as assistant principal at Oconee County Schools' Rocky Branch Elementary. From 2003 to 2010 she taught kindergarten, second and fourth grades in Oconee County Schools.

"Jennifer has a long track record in Oconee County of building community, fostering challenging and nurturing learning environments, and maintaining an unwavering commitment to excellence," said Superintendent Jason Branch in a school district news release. "I look forward to her leading OCPS with that same passion and purpose."

Whitaker received her graduate degrees from the UGA College of Education; her bachelor's degree is from UGA's College of Family and Consumer Sciences. All three degrees focus on early childhood education.

"It is an honor to be named the next principal of Oconee County Primary School," she said in a school news release. "I look forward to partnering with the wonderful faculty, staff, students and parents that make Oconee County Primary School a nurturing and engaging learning community."