On May 18, Richard Cook, Stockbridge High School principal, announced that he is stepping down as principal and furthering his career at the Capital Area Career Center as a literacy consultant.

“I love teaching and the new job gives me the opportunity to do the kind of teaching I have wanted to do for a long time,” Cook said of his career move.

Cook will be teaching college-level writing classes while teaching other teachers reading and writing strategies.

Cook spent the first 17 years of his career at Stockbridge, starting out as an English teacher and eventually accepting the job as the principal. When he first applied, Cook was only 22 years old.

“When I interviewed in Stockbridge, I was 22 and sleeping on my friend’s couch,” Cook said. “All of my life has been built on the foundation of my job at Stockbridge. All I have given to this community couldn’t hope to pay off that debt, and for it, I will be eternally grateful.”

As of now, there is no set in stone replacement for the administrative staff, including Cook and the secretarial staff that will be leaving the school according to superintendent Karl Heidrich.

“Our next task will be to begin to explore options over the next couple weeks to consider administrative reorganization and replacements for the 2017-2018 school year,” superintendent Karl Heidrich said.