Winchester Welcomes New Principal

Winchester Elementary School has a new principal this year, but Meghan Pirtle is not a new face to the staff, students and families. Pirtle moved to Oregon to work as a fourth-grade teacher at Winchester in 2015. For the last seven years, she's been helping to provide professional development and instructional support for teachers to improve student learning as a learning specialist. “I always had great teachers, always wanted to be in education,” Pirtle said in a post from Roseburg Public School. Pirtle has two young children of her own. One day several years ago, a former principal asked her to consider joining the school’s leadership team. The same day, she received a pamphlet in the mail about an administrative degree program. Taking the next step into a leadership role, it appeared, was meant to be. Then, former Principal Rick Snyder retired last school year. “Meghan rose to the top because of her experience and love for student success,” said District Human Resources Director Robert Freeman. “Meghan’s actions demonstrate her dedication to all students, while her heart and passion shines for those students most removed from opportunities.” Pirtle’s goals for being principal include setting high expectations for students while ensuring they each achieve growth throughout the year. “After the past few years, I especially want to make sure staff feel supported and excited to come to work each day,” Pirtle said. “I also want families and kids to know that we are here to support them and that we want families to be a part of their students’ education.” Maintaining Winchester’s sense of family is also a top priority. Pirtle said she loves hearing stories about the school from former students who now have their own children attending. Freeman told Roseburg Public Schools that Pirtle was unanimously selected by the hiring committee. “Meghan has made an immediate impact supporting student achievement and the student experience at Winchester,” Freeman said. “Our district is very fortunate to have such a talented educator serving on our team.”