Brooklet Elementary School Principal Mike Yawn announced Thursday he would retire at the end of the school year.
"I just hope I had a positive impact on the individuals I coached, my students, and those I had the privilege of working alongside," Yawn said. "I hope that they all know how much I enjoy being an educator."
Krista Branch, an assistant principal at Brooklet Elementary, will serve as the school's interim principal beginning July 1.
The district plans to name a new principal for the school by January 1, according to a release from the school district. Branch called BES “a school of excellence, and that it is her goal to continue a collaborative environment where individual needs of students are a top priority.”
A native of Bulloch County, Yawn has been principal at Brooklet since 2017 and has been an educator for 29 years. He began his career as a mathematics teacher in Burke County for one year before returning to his alma mater, Statesboro High School – Class of 1990 – to teach math for nine years and advance into leadership as one of its assistant principals for three years.
In 2008, Yawn became the principal of Statesboro High's feeder middle school, William James, where he served for nine years before transferring to BES.
Yawn is a double Eagle, obtaining both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Georgia Southern University in secondary math education. He went on to receive his specialist degree in leadership from Argosy University.
"When I left high school, I had a scholarship from GulfStream to study engineering," Yawn said. "But when it was time to transfer away from Statesboro, I decided to stay at home. As I was searching for my next steps, two of the most influential educators in my life, my mother (Lynda Yawn) and Ms. Penny Sikes basically said to me 'why are you running from where you know you need to be?' I knew they were right. Teaching and coaching were where I was called to serve."
Yawn now, jokingly, calls himself a "free agent." He is excited to explore his next steps professionally and spend some quality time with his wife, Kathy, and his children, Will, Drew and Kate, along with other family and friends.
"I'm going to miss the people," Yawn said. "I am so lucky to have had them in my life, and I cherish the relationships we have developed. I hope all the people I came in contact with felt valued and supported and knew that I was authentic in every interaction. I hope my legacy is one of service, love, and support, and I hope they can say we had some fun along the way as well."
Yawn and all of the school district's 40 retirees for 2023-2024, will be recognized during a special invitation-only banquet in May at Sallie Zetterower Elementary School. This year's retirees have 699 years of combined service to the community and its children.
Krista Branch
Branch first came to Brooklet Elementary as a parent in 2008 and was an active member of its parent teacher organization for five years, including serving as its president for two years. Each of her three daughters attended the school.
In 2011, Branch joined the school's faculty as a long-term substitute the QUEST class. In 2013, she began her full-time career with Bulloch County Schools when she became a fifth-grade teacher at the school. Branch’s peers selected her as Brooklet's teacher of the year in 2015. For the past five years, she has served as one of the school's assistant principals.
Branch has a bachelor's degree in middle grades education and a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Georgia Southern University. She obtained her specialist degree in educational leadership from Georgia College and State University.
"BES has been and will continue to be a source of joy for me," Branch said. "I am both humbled and excited to serve as interim principal at the school I love so dearly. BES has been my community, my home, for 16 years. From parent, to substitute, to teacher, to administrator, I have had the opportunity to gain different perspectives. I believe my personal and professional experiences will be an asset."