June 29, 2022 - Dora Bechtel, currently principal at Olmsted Falls Early Childhood Center, has accepted the Onaway Elementary School principal position and will begin in July. She succeeds Eric B. Forman, who has become principal of Woodbury Elementary School.
Ms. Bechtel emerged as the strongest applicant after panel interviews that included a diverse group of parents, Onaway faculty and staff and District administrators. With more than 20 years of experience, she has served as an instructional leader, a classroom teacher and a building administrator.
As principal of the Olmsted Falls Early Childhood Center, Ms. Bechtel heads a school which serves more than 300 students in preschool and kindergarten. Before joining the Olmsted Falls City School District, she served as principal at James A. Garfield School in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
Prior to that, she was a teacher and instructional leader at the Campus International School, an International Baccalaureate School at Cleveland State University. She is also an adjunct instructor at Cleveland State University. She began her career as an elementary school teacher in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
Ms. Bechtel holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and teaching and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, both from Cleveland State University.
“We are very excited Ms. Bechtel is joining our leadership team,” said Superintendent Dr. David Glasner. “Her strong experience, especially in elementary and preschool education and with the International Baccalaureate framework, makes her an ideal choice to be Onaway’s new principal.”