Moore County will have three new principals for the 2008-2009 school year.

Two of those principals -- Marcy Cooper and Rose Cooper -- have strong ties to Moore County Schools. The third, Cadace L. Tuck, is a former principal of the year in Duplin County.

Both Coopers were approved at the June 9 meeting of the Moore County Board of Education.

Rose Cooper, a former assistant principal in Moore County, will be principal of Carthage Elementary School. Marcy Cooper will be the new principal of Southern Pines Elementary School, where she had been the assistant principal.

Earlier this year, Turk was named as the new principal at West Pine Elementary School. She is currently assistant superintendent for human resources and operations in Duplin County.

Rose Cooper has been principal at Overhills Middle School in Harnett County since 2005. She is familiar with Moore County.

She was in the classroom from 1987 to 2000, serving at both West Pine Middle and West End Elementary.

She became a lead teacher for two years, developing and implementing staff development for teachers. She served as assistant principal at Robbins Elementary before moving to Overhills.

She received her bachelor's degree from Meredith College and her master's degree in school administration and curriculum from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

She called her tenure at Overhills Middle "a wonderful opportunity," but added she was "eager to return to Moore County." She replaces Sheryl Anne Jackson.

Marcy Cooper has been with Southern Pines Elementary since 2005. She served as a curriculum support facilitator before becoming the assistant principal at the start of this school year.

She spent the first five years of her career at a teacher in Bradenton, Fla., before coming to Moore County as a music teacher at West End Elementary.

After three years in that position, she became a lead teacher for arts education for the county before taking a position at Southern Pines Elementary.

She received a bachelor's degree in music education and music performance from Appalachian State University and her master's degree in school administration from the UNCP.

She replaces Burgin Beale.

"My experiences as a lead teacher, curriculum facilitator and assistant principal have given me the knowledge, expertise, confidence and desire to become the instructional leader for staff, as well as students," Cooper said. "I believe that these experiences will allow me to move Southern Pines Elementary forward in a positive manner."

Superintendent Susan Purser said she is pleased to have two principals with such extensive experience, almost all of which has been in Moore County.

"These ladies come to these positions with very strong backgrounds in curriculum and leadership roles," Purser said. "Both have spent the majority of their careers in Moore County and are familiar with our schools, our personnel, our students and the communities.

"I am very pleased to have educators of this caliber filling these critical leadership roles and look forward to working with them to provide exceptional educational opportunities for all of our students."

Turk received her bachelor's degree in social work from East Carolina University in 1973 and a bachelor's degree in theology from Way College of Biblical Research in New Knoxville, Ohio.

She completed her master's degree in special education in 1992 and her doctorate in education in 2003, both from East Carolina University.

Prior to entering public education, Turk served as an adjunct professor, a coordinator for children's camps, an office manager and bookkeeper and a social worker.

She began her career in public education in 1991 as a special education teacher at Greene County Middle School in Snow Hill. After six years in this position, she was named assistant principal and then principal of B.F. Grady Elementary School in Albertson.

In 2004, she assumed the principal's position at East Duplin High School and then moved to her present position in human resources the following year. She was named Duplin County Principal of the Year in 2003-2004.

"She is an experienced educator with exceptional leadership skills that will move a great school toward being even greater," Purser said. "We welcome her and know the staff, parents and other community members will continue to provide outstanding support and encouragement as they have in the past."

Contact Tom Embrey at 693-2473 or by e-mail at tembrey@thepilot.com.