Penny Armstrong, headmaster at Southwest Christian School in Fort Worth, has retired after serving the college preparatory school for the past 12 years.
Shane Naterman has been named as interim headmaster and will serve in this position during the 2015-2016 school year while a committee led by the school’s board of trustees conducts a search for a permanent replacement.
Naterman is a 14-year veteran at SCS and has had several roles including teacher, assistant principal, middle school principal and high school principal.
Armstrong fostered many advancements at both the elementary and preparatory campuses during her tenure, including a renovation of the elementary building, the construction of the high school building and the purchase of nearly 15 acres adjacent to the preparatory campus’ current location on Lake Benbrook.
Additionally, she helped to establish and implement Minimester, SCS’s international service outreach and education program that takes students locally, nationally and internationally on mission-based and academic experiences. Armstrong also was a central figure in the development of SCS’s foundational principles that serve as the school’s pillars – Academically Excellent, Globally Minded and Distinctively Christian.
Armstrong plans to stay in Fort Worth as she works on two books and does some academic consulting.
“Dr. Armstrong’s impact on Southwest Christian and on my personal and professional growth is something I will always be grateful for,” said Naterman. “The unique history of our school is to be honored and celebrated, yet I am optimistic that the best of SCS is still to come.”
Founded in 1969, Southwest Christian School is an independent, interdenominational Christian college preparatory institution for students K-12. The elementary campus accommodates students in early childhood through grade six, while students in grades 7-12 attend the preparatory campus.
Betty Dillard
bdillard@bizpress.net