Greenville Middle School has a new principal, but perhaps new isn’t the most accurate description.

The Butler County Board of Education announced Thursday that former W.O. Parmer Elementary School principal Catherine Tanner will be serving as Greenville Middle School’s principal.

An excited Tanner joked Thursday evening about finally making it to junior high school after nine years.

“I’m looking forward to new things and working with a new faculty,” Tanner said.

“I’m thankful for everyone who has supported me along the way, and will continue to support me. I’m really excited.”

Butler County Schools superintendent Amy Bryan said that Tanner brings familiarity and forward-thinking vision to Greenville Middle School.

“She’ll know all of the students and all of the parents already, since they’ve already been through the school in their kindergarten through second-grade years,” Bryan said.

“She brings nine years of leadership to the school. She has vision and follow-through, and she works great with parents, so we are looking forward to what she has already envisioned for Greenville Middle School.”

The transfer leaves a vacancy at W.O. Parmer in the meantime, though the board hopes to name an interim principal to the position during a specially-called board meeting on May 5.

“We could go ahead and name an interim to free Mrs. Tanner to be able to spend more time observing at the middle school,” Bryan said.

“The more time she can spend on the ground before school is out, the better decisions she’ll make about what she does in the summer to make the new year start the way she envisions it.”