Press Elementary will have a new leader for 2015-2016. Longtime Caldwell Elementary School Principal Chris Clark has been chosen as the new principal of McKinney ISD’s northernmost elementary school. Clark will take the place of current Caldwell Elementary School Principal Paige Hanks, who is planning to retire at the end of the year. “Press is in an area of McKinney that will be experiencing a lot of growth in the near future,” said Clark. “I look forward to being a part of that and leading the Press community as we build upon current successes to build a culture of excellence.” Under Clark’s leadership, Caldwell Elementary School began a two-way dual language immersion program and was the first McKinney ISD campus to fully implement the “No Excuses University” model that promotes college readiness for all students. “We are excited about the opportunity that Chris Clark brings to the table as the new leader of Press Elementary,” McKinney ISD Superintendent Dr. Rick McDaniel said in a press release. “Chris has demonstrated tremendous leadership skill while at Caldwell, and many of the programs that he has implemented during his tenure are also in place at Press.” Joe Miniscalco, McKinney ISD Assistant Superintendent for Learner Support, said Clark’s strength at building strong instructional teams, integrating classroom technology and utilizing social media to communicate with parents will blend well with the needs at his new campus. “When you lose a dynamic leader like Paige Hanks it sometimes creates a vacuum, but in Chris you have another dynamic leader coming in,” said Miniscalco in a press release. “He’s going to be able to fill those missing components that are going to be vacated by Paige.” McDaniel said he has no doubt that they will find the right leader to succeed Clark at Caldwell. “We feel confident that there are a number of applicants both internally and externally that can fill that position and continue moving Caldwell forward on the path of continued success,” he said. Clark came to McKinney ISD in 2008 from Tulsa Public Schools when he was hired as principal of Caldwell Elementary. Clark’s career as an educator began 14 years prior in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he served as an elementary classroom teacher and site technology coordinator from 1994-2001. In 2001, Clark became an assistant principal at Nimitz Middle School in Tulsa. He served in that capacity for three years before earning the principal job at Hoover Elementary, where he served until 2008.