New principal appointed to Whit Davis Elementary School

The Clarke County School District has released the following

Athens, Georgia — Clarke County School District Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott today

announced the appointment of Dr. Katie Hanks as principal of Whit Davis Elementary School, a position

she has held in an interim capacity since July 2025. The appointment takes effect immediately and was

approved by the Clarke County Board of Education at its meeting on Thursday, March 12.

"We have seen tremendous student progress at Whit Davis Elementary under Dr. Hanks’ leadership as

Assistant Principal and Interim Principal,

" said Dr. Scott."We are very excited to have her in place as Principal for the upcoming school year to continue leading the great work being done there by staff, students, and parents.

Dr. Hanks has two decades of public education experience and has been at Whit Davis since 2021,

where she served as assistant principal before moving into her role as interim principal last summer.

Prior to joining CCSD in 2018 as a special-education coordinator at the District Office, she worked in

various teaching roles at West Jackson Middle School, Kings Bridge Middle School, East Jackson Middle

School, East Jackson Comprehensive High School, and Oconee County Middle School.

Dr. Hanks holds a bachelor’s degree in Middle Grades Education, a master’s in Secondary English

Education, and a doctorate in Educational Administration and Policy, all from the University of Georgia.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving this incredible school community and am excited to

build on our successes and continue supporting our students, staff, and families each day,” said Dr.

Hanks.“I am incredibly proud of the hard work our students and staff have put in to achieve a 25-point

increase in our CCRPI score over the past two years and of the staff's unwavering commitment to

ensuring that our students receive a high-quality education every day. I am also proud that our school

community is focusing on developing students' leadership skills, setting goals, and having students takeownership of their learning.”

Dr. Mollie Schubach is currently serving as the interim assistant principal at Whit Davis for the 2025-26 school year. With the full-time principal appointment in place, the assistant principal position will be posted, and an appointment will be announced at a later date following Board of Education approval.