Po-Hi names new principal

Ponca City Senior High School assistant principal is stepping up as principal.

The Ponca City School Board said Thad Dilbeck is pending final board approval and will be replacing Kent Marshall.

Marshall is retiring at the end of the school year.

Dilbeck has been serving as assistant principal at Po-Hi since he came to the district in 2012.

He has 13 years experience in teaching, coaching and in administration in Oklahoma education.

Dilbeck said he is honored.

“I am excited and honored to have this opportunity and look forward to continuing the rich tradition of excellence at Po-Hi,” Dilbeck said. “Our district vision is to prepare students to live and work in a global society, and I look forward to working with our students and helping them achieve their goals and dreams.”

Dr. David Pennington, superintendent said Dilbeck was a qualified candidate.

“We are excited about Thad’s willingness to serve as high school principal,” Pennington said. “Having served as assistant principal for the last two years, Mr. Dilbeck has been very involved in the school improvement process and the district’s vision for the high school. We believe he will provide the leadership we need to move the high school forward to provide our students with the best possible education.”

The Ponca City School Board said Dilbeck received his Bachelors Degree in business administration at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, Okla.

He continued to receive a Masters Degree in public school leadership from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Okla.

Thad and his wife Claudia have two sons, Thatcher and Riley, and a daughter, Adele.