The number one public high school in the U.S. will soon have a new leader.
WKU is close to hiring a director of the Gatton Academy for Math and Science to replace Dr. Tim Gott, who is retiring.
Newsweek magazine has rated Gatton the number one public high school in the U.S. for two years in a row.
"We've had a wonderful first seven years and now we're ready to continue what we've been doing and ratchet up opportunities for young people," says Dr. Julia Roberts, executive director of the Center for Gifted Studies at Gatton.
Roberts says the new director will arrive at an exciting time as the academy grows from 120 to 200 students. Construction will start next year on an expansion of Schneider Hall, which houses the residential program for Kentucky high school juniors and seniors.
Of Kentucky’s 120 counties, at least one student from 113 of those counties has attended Gatton since it opened.
The search for a new director is down to three finalists: Christopher Kolar from the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora, IL, Dr. Lynette Breedlove from the Spring Branch Independent School District in Houston, TX, and Corey Alderdice of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Science, and the Arts in Hot Springs, AR.
An hiring announcement is expected in the next two weeks.
