Herman L Horn Elementary School principal Peggy Stovall has announced her retirement in June. She has worked for Roanoke County for 38 years, first hired in 1980.
“I was a student, teacher, assistant principal, and now principal at Herman L. Horn,” said Stovall. “HLHorn is my ‘second home’ and I have a passion for our children and the Vinton community as I have lived here my entire life. I am proud to be a long-time employee of a great school system.”
Stovall and her husband, Jeff, raised their now-adult children, Amanda Dooley and Josh Stovall, at HLH. In just two years their grandson, Maddox, will be attending the school as well.
Stovall graduated from Radford University in 1980 with her Bachelor’s Degree and earned her Master of Administration there in 2008.
As for her future plans, Stovall originally planned to do all her retirement days as principal at HLH in 2018-2019, until she was offered an opportunity to mentor first year principals during the next school year.
“I accepted that offer to build capacity with new leaders,” said Stovall. “I am excited and honored for this great opportunity to support our rising new principals.”
She plans to have more time with her two grandchildren, Maddox and Ivy Grace, and more time with her mother who is now 88 years of age. She and her husband have purchased her mother’s home with plans to remodel and move in, while remaining in the Vinton community.
Teacher Elizabeth Cannaday will also be retiring from Herman L. Horn. She has taught at the school since the fall of 2006, teaching second grade, kindergarten, first grade, and gifted art in her years on staff.
Prior to coming to HLH, Cannaday taught first and second grades at Moneta Elementary in Bedford County for 20 years. She did her student teaching at the school in the fall of 1984 and began her teaching career there in January 1985.
Cannaday moved to the Roanoke area and became a substitute teacher for Roanoke County Schools beginning in 2005. She had two long-term positions at Glenvar Elementary in second and third grade.
While at HLH, she has served on the PTA Board and on other committees. She was nominated by parents for Teacher of the Year honors once at Moneta and four times at Herman L. Horn.
Recently her classroom was awarded the Patterson Partnership 2017 Award through Scholastic Book Clubs and author James Patterson.
“I have taught first grade for 10 years, second grade for 19 years, and kindergarten for two years,” said Cannaday. “I taught Gifted Art for four years while at Horn. I have especially loved teaching reading, social studies, and bringing in art/creativity whenever I could.
“Officially I have taught for 32.7 years,” noted Cannaday. “My life has come full circle. I began teaching in first grade and this is where I am today— teaching first grade.
“I began teaching because of my love of children and that still holds true today,” Cannaday said. “I hope that I have made a special impact in their lives.”
At its meeting on May 24, the Roanoke County School Board announced that Julie Sandzimier will take over as principal at Herman L. Horn on July 1. She has been serving as principal at Fort Lewis Elementary.
Sandzimier began teaching in Roanoke City Public Schools in 1991 and moved to New Jersey to teach in 1994. She returned to the Roanoke Valley in 2001 and joined Roanoke County Public Schools as a teacher at Burlington Elementary.
She moved to Bonsack Elementary as a teacher in 2007. In 2015, she accepted a position with Roanoke City Public Schools, then returned to Roanoke County in 2016 as the assistant principal at Green Valley Elementary School. In 2017, she was named the principal at Fort Lewis.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Radford University.
“Julie has shown excellent leadership at Green Valley and Fort Lewis and I’m pleased she will continue that leadership at Herman L. Horn,” said Roanoke County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Greg Killough.
