Retirements Spark Shuffling of Garden Grove School Posts

Four elementary and two intermediate schools will get new principals for the 1994-95 school year, according to district spokesman Alan Trudell.

Don Ewoldt will move to Allen Elementary School from Enders Elementary School. He will take over for Jessie Thacker, who retired in June after a 38-year career with the district. Barbara Gibbons will leave her job as principal of Paine Elementary School to become principal at Enders, Trudell said.

The new principal at Paine will be Frances Murphy, who previously served as principal of Eisenhower Elementary School. Succeeding Murphy at Eisenhower will be Barb Batson. She comes to the school from Garden Grove High School, where she was assistant principal.

Changes at the intermediate level include Mike Miller’s appointment as principal of Fitz Intermediate School. Miller, who served as an assistant principal at Garden Grove High School, follows John Barriga, who retired this month after 18 years in the district.

Carol Patterson, formerly an assistant principal at La Quinta High School, assumes duties as principal of McGarvin Intermediate School. She succeeds Tom Holler, who will move to Ralston Intermediate School. Ralston’s former principal, Denny Pace, retired last month after 29 years with the district, Trudell said.

The Garden Grove Unified School District serves most of Garden Grove and portions of Santa Ana, Anaheim, Westminster, Cypress, Stanton and Fountain Valley.