Following unanimous approval during the April 26 meeting of the Fountain Hills Unified School District Governing Board, Linda McKeever will take over as principal of Fountain Hills Middle School at the start of the next academic year beginning July 1.

During that same meeting, the Board approved a measure to merge the Middle School with Four Peaks Elementary School, taking on the name of the former while unifying bus routes and bell schedules, as well as opening up new opportunities for academic practices and extracurricular activities.

McKeever was one of about a dozen applicants for the position following the announcement that Anita Gomez would be stepping down from the role at the end of the school year.

On April 12, Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sweeney explained that the top three candidates would be brought in for an interview process involving three committees consisting of parents, students, District staff, community members, etc. From the recommendations provided through that process, Dr. Sweeney said that McKeever was the clear choice.

“I am enthusiastically recommending her for this position,” Sweeney said at the Board meeting held April 26. “She brings an impressive track record of success.”

Following approval from the Board, McKeever said she is excited to begin her tenure as principal of Fountain Hills Middle School.

Currently, McKeever is the Chief Academic Officer in Gilbert Public Schools.

“I oversee assessment accountability, special education, curriculum, Title I, and two executive directors who oversee all of our principals,” McKeever explained.

While attending an East Valley Curriculum Consortium meeting in Fountain Hills, McKeever took a tour of the Middle School campus.

“I realized I really miss being on a school campus,” McKeever said. “Having been at the district level now for seven years, I felt this might be a good opportunity to get myself back in a building.”

McKeever said she has very diverse experience across multiple grade levels and communities, adding that having high expectations of staff, as well as students, has proven critically important.

“I think working with staff, parents and community members to continue to make schools the hub of Fountain Hills is really important, as well as bringing back enrollment,” McKeever added. “I have some really strong, positive ideas of how we can increase enrollment.”

McKeever said she is most excited about making a difference within the classroom environment for both students and teachers.

“And that includes parents and the community, too,” she continued. “We’re all in the same line of thinking, as far as making sure we’re doing what’s right for kids, always. To implement that and see it flourish means so much in a community like this…It’s an exceptional opportunity, to make that connection.”

McKeever’s transition to FHMS is underway, and she’ll be behind the big desk on campus starting this summer. Once the school year gets underway, she said she’s eager to get to work.

“I have an open door policy and have absolutely flourished with middle school students,” McKeever said. “The core work of teaching and learning is where we are, but we also need to be very conscious of what impacts our students and how we can help them move forward.”