This week, Austin ISD’s Board of Trustees approved new principal appointments for McBee Elementary School and Covington Middle School, effective Feb. 24.

Margarita De La Rosa will be the principal of McBee Elementary School. She has 15 years of experience in public education, most of which has been in Title I schools with similar demographics to McBee. Most recently, she served as an administrative supervisor for AISD’s Area II in the district’s schools office, providing administrative and instructional support to 16 elementary and middle schools. Prior to joining AISD, De La Rosa served as an assistant principal and curriculum facilitator at De Zavala Middle School in the La Joya Independent School District. She also has been an elementary assistant principal and an elementary classroom teacher in both the primary and intermediate grades. She earned a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Texas at Brownsville.

Shannon Sellstrom will be the new principal of Covington Middle School. Sellstrom has 24 years of experience in public education, all of which has been dedicated to AISD. Most recently, she has served as principal of Dawson Elementary School since 2001. She led the campus to multi-year Texas Exemplary status, earning three state achievement distinctions in 2013. She also has served as an administrative intern to AISD’s Area III associate superintendent in the district’s schools office, providing administrative and instructional support to 21 elementary and middle schools. Sellstrom has been a successful assistant principal and summer school principal, as well as a teacher. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Texas at Austin.