2025-2026 Administrative Promotions, New Hires, and Changes 

Principal Change

 

Dr. Shanté Oniyide will serve Mary T. Christian Elementary School as their principal.

Dr. Oniyide has spent the past three years serving as principal of Bryan Elementary School. Before that, she was the assistant principal at Peake Elementary for four years and at Bassette Elementary for one year. Her earlier experience includes roles as a special education teacher at Booker (now Patrick) Elementary, in Smithfield, and in Brooklyn, New York, where she also taught middle school English.

 

She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education from Syracuse University and a master’s in science education from Hunter College. Additionally, she earned both her ED. S. in educational leadership and administration and her doctorate in education from The George Washington University.

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At the June 4, 2025, meeting of the School Board, the Hampton School Board approved the following administrative appointments, effective July 1, 2025:

New Principal

Michael Kelly has been promoted to the role of elementary principal. He will serve Phillips Elementary School. 

Kelly has served as the assistant principal at Cooper Elementary Magnet School for Technology for the past two years. He previously held assistant principal roles at both Kraft Elementary and Asbury Elementary. He joined Hampton City Schools as a special education teacher at Smith Elementary and began his career in Fairfax County Public Schools. His diverse experience also includes serving as a school improvement grant instructional coach in St. Louis, an assistant principal in Illinois, and an elementary principal in California. Additionally, he served in the United States Marine Corps.

He earned his bachelor’s in music education at the State University of New York and his master’s in special education as well as a master’s in educational leadership at George Mason University.

New Assistant Director

 

Sharon Slater, has been promoted to an assistant director of human resources.

 

Slater has served as principal of Jones Magnet Middle School since the 2018–2019 school year. Prior to her leadership at Jones, she was principal at Eaton Fundamental Middle School and also held the principal position at Syms Middle School. Her previous roles include assistant principal at both Eaton Fundamental and Phenix PreK–8 School, as well as special education teacher at Bethel High School. Before entering the field of education, Slater spent nine years working in rehabilitation services.

 

She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Christopher Newport University, a master’s in rehabilitation counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a master’s in educational leadership from Old Dominion University.

 

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At the May 21, 2025, meeting of the School Board, the Hampton School Board approved the following administrative appointment, effective July 1, 2025:

New Assistant Director

 

Sarah Newsome is rejoining Hampton City Schools (HCS) as an assistant director of human resources.

 

Newsome previously served HCS as a human resources recruiter from 2018 to 2020. Over the past five years, she has held roles as a human resources administrator and staffing and recruitment administrator with Chesapeake Public Schools. Her experience also includes leadership positions in higher education, having served as a director at Dominion School of Hair Design and as a program director at both Virginia College and Vista College in Lubbock, Texas.

 

She holds a bachelor’s in business administration from Old Dominion University and a master’s in curriculum and instruction from Regent University.

 

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At the May 7, 2025, meeting of the School Board, the Hampton School Board approved the following administrative promotions, effective July 1, 2025:

New Assistant Director

April Fry has been promoted to assistant director for the department of special education. 

 

Fry began her career in education in 2004 with a neighboring school division and joined Hampton City Schools in 2007 as a special education teacher at Barron Fundamental Elementary School. She later collaborated with Head Start to help pilot a joint program with HCS. In 2015, Fry transitioned into the role of special education instructional coach and was subsequently promoted to special education coordinator. After a brief departure from Hampton City Schools, she returned in 2024 to resume her role as a special education coordinator.

 

She holds a bachelor’s degree in school-age care from Concordia University, St. Paul; a master’s degree in education from Old Dominion University; and a post-master’s certificate in educational leadership and administration from The George Washington University. 

New Principals

Marye Branchling is returning to Hampton City Schools as an elementary principal. She will serve Smith Elementary School. 

Branchling has served the past two years as an elementary principal for Portsmouth Public Schools. Before her time in Portsmouth, Branchling served as the principal at Machen Elementary (one year), the principal of Asbury Elementary School (five years), and as an assistant principal at Phenix PreK-8 School. Prior to Hampton, she was an instructional math coach and math teacher in Norfolk Public Schools and a math intervention teacher in Toledo, Ohio.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in middle childhood education from Lourdes College and her master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Virginia.

 

Damien Collins has been promoted to the role of elementary principal. He will serve Bryan Elementary School.

 

Collins joined Hampton City Schools in 2021 as a special education teacher and case manager at Mary S. Peake Elementary School. In 2022, he was promoted to academy principal at Hampton High School, where he has spent the past three years as a valued member of the Crabber family, overseeing the International Baccalaureate Academy, the Virginia Ship Repair Association Maritime Academy, and the Academy of Technology and Engineering (2022-2023).

 

Prior to his time with HCS, he served for six years as a special education teacher at Rivermont School in Hampton.

 

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, a collegiate professional license in special education from Old Dominion University, and a master’s degree in urban education and administrative supervision from Norfolk State University.

New Assistant Principals

 

Llewchean (Llew) Radford will be joining Hampton City Schools as an academy principal at Kecoughtan High School.

 

Radford has been a high school mathematics teacher at Heritage High School in Newport News since 2016, where he has also served as lead mathematics teacher for the past three years. Prior to his time with Newport News Public Schools, he spent five years as a special education teacher at Rivermont Private Day School in Hampton and one year as a mental health counselor at the Rivermont Alternative School. In addition to his work in education, Radford has held various coaching roles, including varsity girls soccer, varsity boys volleyball, and varsity boys basketball.

 

He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in accounting, both from Wagner College, and earned his Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree from Old Dominion University.

 

Travis Riddick has been promoted to the role of academy principal at Hampton High School.

Riddick has served as a dean at Phoebus High School since 2023. Before that, he spent eight years at Syms Middle School—four years as an eighth-grade math teacher and four years as a middle school science teacher. During his time at Syms, he also held key leadership roles, including serving as the 21st Century Program Coordinator for three years and as a Climate and Culture Coach for two years.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in middle school education from Bob Jones University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Regent University.