photo by: Contributed

Courtney Ellis, the new principal at Sunset Hill Elementary School.

Courtney Ellis will be the new principal at Sunset Hill Elementary School, according to a press release from the district.

Ellis currently serves as assistant principal and athletic director at Billy Mills Middle School, and she will succeed Howard Diacon, who was serving as Sunset Hill interim principal for the 2025-2026 school year. Ellis will begin serving in the position on July 1, 2026.

“Ms. Ellis brings a positive, energetic, and collaborative leadership style, and she is grounded in a child-centered approach,” Superintendent Jeanice Swift said in a press release. “These characteristics will serve her well in working alongside teachers and school teams and in partnering with families, staff, and community to extend the educational excellence and enrich the strong community for which Sunset Hill has long been known.”

In the past, Ellis has also served the Lawrence school district as a student support facilitator, which is focused on implementing and facilitating restorative practices to promote positive conflict resolution and community building, the release said. In addition, her professional education experience includes five years as a classroom teacher for the district and the Eudora school district, an academic interventionist in Lawrence, and as a special education paraeducator for the Derby school district.

“These diverse experiences have shaped my understanding of school leadership through multiple lenses and reinforced my belief in the importance of relationships, integrity, empathy, and shared responsibility – all values that closely align with the mission and culture of Sunset Hill,” Ellis said in the release.

Sunset Hill, 901 Schwarz Road, currently serves approximately 400 students in kindergarten through 5th grade. The release said the district will coordinate with school staff, parents and families during the spring to schedule transition activities and introduce Ellis to the Sunset Hill community.