At last night's Unit 4 Board of Education meeting, the Board approved the appointment of Dr. Montia Gardner as the Principal of Central High School.
Dr. Gardner began her career in education in 2003 when she joined O.W. Huth Middle School in Matteson, IL where she held positions as a Theatre/Communication Arts Teacher, English Teacher, and Social Studies Teacher. In 2006, Dr. Gardner accepted a position as a 9th/10th Grade English and Social Science Teacher at Thea Bowman Leadership Academy in Gary, IN. In 2008, she rejoined O.W. Huth as a Middle School English and Social Science Facilitator, a position she held for six years. In 2014, Dr. Gardner accepted a 9th Grade English position at Calumet New Tech High School (Turn-Around Program) in Gary, IN.
After relocating to Baltimore, MD in 2016, she joined the University of Maryland-Baltimore County as an Adjunct Professor in Education. In 2020, she also joined Community Colleges of Baltimore County as an Adjunct Professor. In 2021, Dr. Gardner served as the Vice President of Education at Northside Achievement Zone in Minneapolis, MN.
In February 2022, Dr. Gardner joined Unit 4 as an Assistant Principal of Central High School. Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, her role as Assistant Principal transitioned from 10 months to 12 months, and she became the Summer School Principal. In July 2023, she was appointed as an Associate Principal at Central. Dr. Gardner will now transition from this position to become the next Principal of Central High School.
Dr. Gardner holds a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education from DePaul University (2003). She earned her Master of Arts in School Leadership from Concordia University, Chicago (2009). Dr. Gardner also earned a PhD in Language, Literacy, and Culture from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County in Baltimore, MD (2021).
The effective date for this appointment is July 1, 2025.