Randall Yates Named Middle School Principal; Lynn Cowen To Serve as Associate

SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio (July 17, 2001) – Randall A. Yates, a longtime Shaker Heights educator, will become principal of Shaker Heights Middle School, Superintendent of Schools Mark Freeman announced today. Yates, who has served most recently as associate principal of the Middle School, will replace Marianne M. Bursi, who has taken a leave of absence effective July 20 to join her family in Arizona.

“Randy Yates is a familiar, seasoned, and well-respected educator with sixteen years of experience in Shaker Heights as a teacher, coach, and administrator,” Freeman said. “He knows our district well and is a highly capable administrator in all aspects of school operations. Most important, he has earned the respect of colleagues, students, and parents at the Middle School.”

Yates joined the Shaker faculty in 1985 as a mathematics teacher at the Middle School. He served for five years as an assistant principal at Shaker Heights High School prior to rejoining the Middle School staff in 1996 as an assistant principal and, since January of this year, associate principal. Yates holds a B.S. in mathematics and computer science from Muskingum College and a master’s in education from the University of Akron, and is a doctoral candidate in education administration at Kent State University.

Lynn M. Cowen, assistant principal at Lomond Elementary School, will succeed Yates as associate principal at the Middle School.

Cowen joined the Shaker faculty in January 1987. She taught second grade at Lomond for three years before being appointed staff assistant in 1990 and assistant principal in 1994. Her duties have included research, curriculum development, and instructional improvement, particularly in mathematics, at both the school and District levels.

Cowen also has taught extensively at the university level, including a course in adolescent learning. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia, master’s degrees in teaching and administration from John Carroll University, and a Ph.D. in urban education and administration from Cleveland State University.

Renee Paige and Sharron Williams will remain on the leadership team as assistant principals. “Together with Mr. Yates and Dr. Cowen, I am confident that they will sustain the positive momentum at the Middle School,” Freeman said.

Shaker Heights Middle School serves approximately 900 students in the seventh and eighth grades.

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