A 20-year veteran of the Butler County School System has been named principal of Greenville Elementary School.

On Tuesday, the Butler County Board of Education approved the transfer of Greenville Middle School assistant principal Kent McNaughton to principal at GES.

McNaughton takes the place of Bryant Marlow who was named principal at Georgiana School on June 17.

McNaughton, a graduate of Georgiana High School, has spent all 20 years of his teaching career at GMS serving as a teacher, guidance counselor and assistant principal.

“The tough part is leaving the GMS family,” McNaughton said. “I’ve had 20 wonderful years there. But I’m leaving one family and joining another. I’m excited to be moving to Greenville Elementary.”

McNaughton said that during his tenure at GMS, nine years of which were spent as an assistant principal, he has learned a number of things that he believes will help him make the transition to principal.

“During my time at GMS I worked with a number of administrators and I gained a lot of knowledge and insight, going all the way back to my time as a classroom teacher,” he said. “I had the chance to work for four different principals and I learned a lot of things from all of them that will help me as I transition into this new role.”

Butler County Schools Superintendent Amy Bryan said McNaughton was the perfect fit for Greenville’s Elementary School’s family atmosphere.

“Mr. Mac has proven himself as a selfless leader who will give whatever it takes to support his students and teachers,” Bryan said. “He has an elementary background and nine years of experience as assistant principal at GMS. He will work toward adding both advanced courses and enrichment courses, such as the arts, technology, or foreign language, at the school, while supporting the ongoing academic success there.”