The Sheridan School District has filled both of its vacant principal positions for the 2023-24 school year. Dr. Amber Binz will be joining the district as principal at East End Intermediate School, and Dennis Wolfe will take over the top leadership role at Sheridan’s Alternative Learning Academy. The Sheridan Board of Education voted to approve both moves at its regular monthly meeting on Monday, April 10.
Binz is currently serving as assistant principal at Benton Junior High School. Wolfe is the assistant principal at East End Intermediate School.
“Dr. Binz and Mr. Wolfe are individuals of the highest quality, both in character and leadership ability,” said Dr. Karla Neathery, superintendent of the Sheridan School District. “There is no doubt that they are the right people for their respective roles. Dr. Binz has a positive, energetic style and is always looking for ways to improve her campus. Mr. Wolfe is such a steady hand, demonstrating time and again dedication to Sheridan schools and its students, a flexible skill set, and a personality that draws people to him.”
A native of Paris, Ark., Binz began her career in education in 2009 teaching 8th grade literacy at Paris Middle School. She later taught A.P. Literature and Composition, A.P. United States History, and World History at Paris High School. In 2020, she joined the Benton School District in her current role as assistant principal at Benton Junior High. At Paris, she taught all levels of social studies and English, eighth grade through 12th grades.
Binz has an undergraduate degree in History Education from Arkansas Tech University and advanced degrees in Educational Leadership from Harding University. In 2021, she earned her Doctor of Education (EdD) from Harding. She and her husband, Jason Binz, have three daughters.
Wolfe has more than 20 years of experience in education, first working in the Augusta and Mount Pleasant, Tex., school districts before coming to Sheridan in 2006. For 10 years, he was the head junior high band director at Sheridan, then served as the assistant high school band director from 2016-2019. His bands and students have won countless awards through the years.
In 2019, Wolfe was named assistant principal at East End Intermediate, where he made an immediate impact. He developed tools for teachers, including a web portal, evaluation rubrics and communication models. He served as 504 coordinator and testing coordinator. He also implemented a student leadership seminar and created tools for student data analysis. Wolfe has a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Arkansas Tech University, and a master’s degree in Educational Theory and Practice and Educational Specialist certification from Arkansas State University. Dennis Wolfe is married to Kelly Wolfe, who is also a band director at Sheridan. The two have a son in ninth-grade and a daughter in Kindergarten in Sheridan schools.