Five new administrators will greet Forest Hills School District families when the 2026-27 school year opens Tuesday, August 18, including incoming Superintendent Suzanna Davis, whose contract begins Friday, August 1.

The district published its complete leadership roster July 23, filling out a picture that until now included only the two high school assistant principals previously approved by the board. Davis, two new assistant principals at Nagel Middle School, and the new APs at Anderson and Turpin high schools round out the team.

Davis takes the helm

Davis replaces Larry Hook, who announced his resignation at the February 18 board meeting after 36 years in public education. The FHSD Board of Education voted unanimously in May to approve her superintendent contract. Board members Erin Walczewski, Jason Simmons, Jeff Nye, Jeremy Ward, and Wendy Strickler all voted yes. Students gave Davis welcome cards at that meeting when she was introduced to the community.

Davis most recently served as senior director of student services for Middletown City Schools and has "more than 20 years of experience leading high-performing school systems through growth and change," according to the district announcement. The Hamilton County Educational Service Center facilitated the superintendent search, which ran from March through early May.

At the May meeting, Board Vice President Jason Simmons explained that a separate consulting contract gave Davis up to 15 days of work before August 1 "to familiarize herself with the district and policies, meet teachers... so she can hit the ground running." The board later approved additional summer consulting days at its June 29 meeting.

Two new faces at Nagel

Nagel Middle School gets both assistant principal slots filled by new hires.

Shannon Henderson, a math teacher at Nagel during the 2025-26 school year, moves into one role. Henderson taught math for nearly 15 years before joining Nagel and served as a grade-level and Professional Learning Community team lead for about six of those years. She also helped launch Nagel's inaugural competitive robotics team last year. Treasurer Alana Cropper formally welcomed Henderson at the June 29 board meeting.

Nick Pavely joins as the second Nagel assistant principal. He most recently served as assistant principal at New Richmond Middle School, where he launched a schoolwide data team that the district credited with reducing discipline issues. Before moving into administration, Pavely taught government at Hughes STEM High School for 10 years and chaired the social studies department. He was introduced at the Wednesday, May 20 board meeting.

High school APs

Paige Orick, who taught science at Anderson High School for four years, steps into the assistant principal role there. The board approved an alternative principal license for Orick at the June 29 meeting.

Greg Rose takes over as Turpin High School's assistant principal, replacing JP Casanova, who resigned at the end of the 2025-26 year. Rose served three years as assistant principal at West Clermont Middle School and previously held the same title at North College Hill High School. He holds a B.A. in history from the University of Cincinnati and a master's in education from Xavier University. His hire was approved at the March 18 board meeting.

What's next

Seventh and ninth graders report Tuesday, August 18. All middle and high school students begin Wednesday, August 19. The next regular board meeting is Wednesday, August 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Mercer Elementary School, 2600 Bartels Road.