After earning a Bachelor’s degree in music education from Mount St. Joseph University and two masters degrees in early childhood education and educational leadership, one from Mount St. Joseph and another from the University of Cincinnati, Cannon still isn’t done.
As she comes into her new position as Bogan’s principal on Aug. 1, she’ll be working toward earning her doctoral degree in urban educational leadership from UC next spring. Cannon’s doctoral thesis focuses on how administrators can provide effective coaching and evaluation for teachers, a topic she says will apply directly to her new role within Talawanda.
“As administrators, we work very closely with teachers,” Cannon said, “and oftentimes, the only time we get to work with them is through a teacher evaluation ... As a principal, it’s my job to ensure that we have instructional equity happening throughout the building. I feel more equipped now that I’ve done my research to work with teachers and really give them feedback that will be meaningful.”
Before accepting her new role as an elementary school principal for Bogan, Cannon worked as a teacher in Cincinnati Public Schools for six years and as an assistant principal in Lakota School District for three years. For one of those years at Lakota, she served in a building for third to sixth graders, while she spent the next two years in a K-2 school.
As a new administrator in Talawanda, Cannon plans to focus on building relationships with teachers, parents and students while learning more about the district’s culture. She said she’s also ready to take the day-to-day challenges as they come.
“You can have a perfect agenda for your day created, and suddenly that can change right when you walk in the door,” Cannon said. “I think planning will be key as much as possible, and then making sure that I’m still supporting teachers.”
Outside of school, Cannon still finds ways to make use of her music education degree, too. She performs with Cincinnati Wind Band regularly as a flutist.
“We play locally around Cincinnati,” Cannon said. “We’ve gotten to travel to different conferences and other states.”
Cannon’s arrival marks end of 12-year career in Talawanda for Merz
Molly Merz worked in the Talawanda School District for 12 years, including for three years as Bogan Elementary’s principal. Photo by Taylor Stumbaugh
Molly Merz, who has served as principal for Bogan Elementary since 2021, is leaving the district this academic year to become the principal for Edgewood Intermediate School in Trenton.
Molly has been a part of Talawanda for 12 years. She was first hired as an assistant principal at Talawanda High School before transitioning to Bogan nine years later. It marked her first time working in elementary education.
“I like to be challenged; I like to push my envelope,” Merz said. “I was really interested in elementary education and what that looked like and what that meant. One of the things I’ve always loved doing is creating relationships with the students, the families and the staff. Regardless of age, you do that everywhere you go.”
None of the elementary schools in Talawanda have assistant principal positions. Merz said she relied on everyone on the team in Bogan to make it a safe and fun learning environment for students.
“I would always joke about, ‘I’m putting out the bat signal, we need coverage for this ...’ and everybody’s willing to help, which is fantastic,” Merz said. “People will chip in with whatever you need.”
Talawanda Superintendent Ed Theroux said Cannon was the best candidate to take over at Bogan for Merz. Theroux is sorry to see Merz go, he said, but happy for her new opportunity.
“She’s always a supporter of Talawanda, she always sought out win-win solutions to problems,” Theroux said. “Watching her work with the most challenging students at the elementary level as well as high school was outstanding and amazing.”
Students at Bogan Elementary and across the district will return to school for the first day of class Aug. 14.
This story was originally published by the Oxford Free Press, a content partner of the Journal-News. See it online at oxfreepress.com.
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