Bridge City, Orangefield schools name new administrators

The Bridge City and Orangefield school districts this past week announced new administrators for the 2023-24 school year that will have classes beginning next month.

In Bridge City, Kim Smalley will be the district's new director of curriculum and instruction. She is going to Bridge City after a 25-year education career in the Orangefield ISD, where she served 10 years as district director of curriculum.

The Orangefield district has promoted elementary school assistant principal Julie Fuller to be the new principal at the school. Fuller has 23 years of education experience with 18 years in the Orangefield district. She first became an elementary classroom teacher and then served the past seven years as assistant principal at Orangefield Elementary.

Smalley is a 1990 graduate of Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School and earned an associate's degree at Lamar State College-Orange. She then went to Lamar University to complete a bachelor's degree. She later graduated from Lamar's master's of education program specializing in school administration.

In 1998, she began her professional career as a third grade teacher at Orangefield Elementary and eight years later, went to teach seventh grade at Orangefield Junior High. She was named curriculum coordinator for Orangefield ISD in 2012 and in 2015 became the district's director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

In a news release, the Bridge City District said Smalley's "dedication extends beyond the confines of the school district. She believes in community involvement and understands the vital role it plays in shaping the educational landscape. She has volunteered her time and expertise for various community projects, such as mentoring programs and local initiatives aimed at improving educational outcomes for students and teachers. Kim served as a Lamar University Adjunct MaST Instructor to mentor future teachers. She also served on the Bridge City Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Lutcher Stark Art and History Venues Community Advisory Council, Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce Business Community Service Committee, Leadership Southeast Texas, Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented Advisory Board, Motiva Harvey Flood Relief Advisory Council, and the Mehaffy Children's Advocacy Program Advisory Board.

"With a commitment to lifelong learning, Kim stays informed of education initiatives through her memberships in the Texas Association of School Administrators, Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Instructional Materials Coordinators' Association of Texas, Texas Computer Education Association, and Leadership Southeast Texas."