Petoskey High School and Petoskey Middle School will both have new principals for the 2026-27 school year.
Mindy Horn has agreed to be the new principal at the high school after serving the last two years as an assistant principal. Taylor Golding was named the middle school’s new administrative leader after serving as assistant principal and athletic director at the middle school.
Horn replaces Deidra Gamble, who was promoted within the district to be its director of teaching and learning. Golding replaces Jon Wilcox, the 2024 Michigan Principal of the Year. According to Petoskey Superintendent Dr. Jeff Leslie, Wilcox is starting a new job this summer as the director of institutional services with the Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District. He was the middle school principal for 11 years.
Horn and Golding were unanimously approved as the new principals during the school board’s Monday, June 1 meeting. Both have agreed to contract terms.
Leslie added that he believes the internal promotions of Horn and Golding is an example of the “outstanding team” that is in place at the district, from administrators to the teachers to the support staff.
“I was impressed with the internal candidates we had,” Leslie said. “Both (Horn and Golding) have been there for a couple of roles, and I expect a smooth transition. It doesn’t surprise me as we have a very strong staff here supporting our community.”
Leslie and his team had considered several internal and external candidates from around Michigan for the high school principal role. The middle school principal opening happened quickly with Wilcox’s recent decision, but the district still considered nine candidates for the middle school spot. The district planned to list job openings for the two vacant assistant principal positions this week.
Horn previously served as superintendent, principal and teacher at Onaway Area Community Schools before joining Petoskey High School as an assistant principal for the 2023-24 school year, Leslie said. Golding is a Petoskey High School graduate who served in school administrative roles in North Carolina before returning home.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: New principals hired for Petoskey middle and high schools
Reporting by M. Alan Scott, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
