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District names new principals for AHS, Aspen Elementary

Eben Harrell
Charlie Anastas will take over as principal at Aspen High School next fall.
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The Aspen School District overhauled its upper administration yesterday, promoting two longtime employees to the high school and elementary school principal positions. A new assistant superintendent was also announced.Charlie Anastas, a 16-year employee of the district and current assistant high school principal, will become Aspen’s high school principal next fall. He replaces Kendall Evans, who will retire after this school year.

Doreen Goldyn, a 12-year district employee who holds a joint elementary and middle school assistant principal position, will become the elementary school principal. She will replace Robin Whitacre when Whitacre leaves the district this spring.The assistant superintendent position will be filled by Bev Tarpley, the superintendent of the Woodland Park School District near Buena Vista. Tarpley replaces retiring assistant superintendent Joanna Ihrig.District Superintendent Diana Sirko said both Anastas and Goldyn beat a competitive pool of national candidates. They were initially selected as finalists by a committee of parents and district staff. Sirko picked them last month and the school board approved Sirko’s decision last night.

“Both candidates had very strong support from the staff. There was a heavy consensus on the outcome,” Sirko said.Sirko said the district received 18 applications for the high school position, 25 applications for the elementary school position, and 30 applications for the assistant superintendent job.



Anastas, a former Spanish teacher at the high school who became assistant principal two years ago, said an immediate goal next year will be to enhance collaboration between teachers. He said his tenure in the district and his good relationship with the student body likely helped his application, as did his fluency in Spanish.”With my Spanish background I’ll be able to communicate well with the Latino population,” Anastas said. “I hope that will be an asset for our district.”Tarpley, the next assistant superintendent, will see the duties of her position expand next year. As part of its effort to cut its budget deficit, the school district will eliminate its director of technology and special education coordinator next year. Those duties will now fall to Tarpley.

“She has the qualifications to undertake the duties of both positions, as well as her normal requirements,” Sirko said.The district will now begin looking for a new assistant high school principal, a full-time assistant middle school principal, and a half-time assistant elementary school principal, Sirko said.Eben Harrell’s e-mail address is eharrell@aspentimes.com