Sabrina Farler to Become Principal at DeKalb West School

Director of Schools Mark Willoughby has named Sabrina Farler to succeed Danny Parkerson as Principal at DeKalb West School.
Farler, who has been assistant principal at DeKalb West School for the last three years, will become principal upon Parkerson’s retirement on September 10. She will be only the fifth principal at DWS in the 40 year history of the school. In addition to Parkerson, the others were Woodrow Frazier, Jean Hayes, and Eddie Hobson.
In an interview with WJLE Thursday, Farler said she is looking forward to this new chapter in her life. “This is an honor and privilege. I’m very excited for this opportunity to build on the successes already achieved at DeKalb West School. DeKalb County has a wonderful school system and each of the schools I have worked for in my fifteen year career have allowed me to gain strength in areas to flourish in a pre-K through 8th grade setting,” she said.
Farler is beginning her 16th year as an educator. She has nine years of teaching experience and six years in administration. Farler graduated from DCHS in 1996 and furthered her education at Tennessee Tech where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education in 1999. She earned her Master’s Degree in Instructional Leadership in 2003 and in 2011 received an Educational Specialist ( Ed.S degree) at Tennessee Tech.
Her teaching career began as a first grade educator at Smithville Elementary in the 1999-2000 school year. During the past fifteen years, Farler has taught at every school in DeKalb County except for DCHS. “I started teaching first grade in a team teaching situation at Smithville Elementary and when Northside opened I moved there and taught fourth grade for three years (2000-2003). While at Northside I completed my Masters Degree knowing that I wanted to move up at some point. I later asked for a transfer back to Smithville Elementary and I worked there for three years (2003-2006) teaching second grade,” she said.
Farler then transferred to DeKalb West School where she taught first and second grades for two years (2006-2008) before moving to DeKalb Middle School six years ago to become Assistant Principal. “I worked with Principal Randy Jennings there for three years (2008-2011) and then when the evaluation process started, I asked for and was granted a transfer back to DeKalb West School to become Assistant Principal in 2011,” she said.
Director Willoughby told WJLE that Farler’s background and experience makes her well suited for the principal position at DeKalb West. “She has actually served in all schools except the high school so she knows what happens at each grade level and having served also as an assistant principal in a pre-K school through eighth grade school, Sabrina has the experience to make some good things happen. She has been successful and everywhere she has been planted, she has bloomed. I’m real proud that she applied for the job and I think she is going to do a good job being the principal,” he said.
Farler and her husband Keith Farler have been married for almost twelve years. They reside in Dowelltown and have two children , Anniston Jane Farler, a fourth grader and Marshall Austin Farler, a third grader. Both children attend DeKalb West School. Keith is a co-owner of FM Construction. Farler is the daughter of Donnie and Patricia Bratcher of Smithville and she has two sisters, Karen Knowles and Tina Pack, both of Smithville. Knowles is the Assistant Principal at Smithville Elementary School.
Farler’s successor as Assistant Principal has not yet been named.