Meet School Administration
- Mrs. Gretchen Pontious, Principal
- Mr. Shawn Bennett, Assistant Principal (Freshman)
- Mr. Justin McCubbin, Assistant Principal (Sophomore)
- Mr. Michael, Moseley, Assistant Principal (Junior)
- Mrs. Cheryl Parks, Assistant Principal (Senior)
Mrs. Gretchen Pontious, Principal
Mrs. Pontious started her postsecondary educational journey at Kansas State University and graduated from there in 2009 with a Bachelors of Arts in Elementary Education. Her teaching career began at Arkansas City Middle School in Arkansas City, Kansas. She was an 8th grade Math Teacher there for three years. From there, she accepted a Center Director position at Mathnasium but after a year, missed public education and wanted to return to the classroom. She taught Math at Rose Hill High School for two years before coming to Derby High School. In her five years at Derby High School, she was a Math Teacher and Department Chair. In 2016, she earned her Masters of Arts in Educational Theory and Practice from Arkansas State University. While at Derby High School, she fell in love with leading and went back to school for a Building Leadership Endorsement in 2020 from Fort Hays State University. She then served as the Principal at Park Hill Elementary, in Derby, for three years.
In 2015, she and her husband moved their family to Derby. They knew this was where they wanted to raise their family and have their kids go to school. Her husband is a teacher and coach within the district and our three children attend Derby Public Schools.
I am thrilled to be returning to Derby High School. I look forward to supporting our students, staff and community. Green is Magic!
Mr. Shawn Bennett, Assistant Principal (Freshman)
Mr. Bennett and his wife live here in Derby with their four kids. For the past three years, he has been an Assistant Principal/Athletic Director at Mulvane Middle School. Prior to that, for four years, he taught Health/PE/Weights at Winfield Middle School while also serving as the Head Baseball Coach at Winfield High School. He also taught for three years at South High School and coached High School Baseball at Cheney High School and The Independent School for a combined nine years.
Some of his specific administrative duties at Derby High School include the following areas: 9th-grade principal, staff evaluations, athletic/activity supervision, student laptops, summer school, orientation, Pre-ACT coordinator and staff newsletter.
Mr. Justin McCubbin, Assistant Principal (Sophomore)
Mr. McCubbin will be beginning his 11th year in education and first as an Administrator. His previous experience has all been as a Social Studies teacher at Winfield High School, but comes with a fair amount of leadership experience from duties as Department Head and his 16 years in the Army Reserves (13 of which have been in leadership positions). His Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees are from Oklahoma State University and the University of Kansas respectively. As a family, his wife and daughter all enjoy spending time outdoors together. He also loves classic cars, running and the NBA.
Some of his specific administrative duties at Derby High School include the following areas: 10th-grade principal, staff evaluations, athletic/activity supervision, safety and security, PDC process, in-school suspension, PIT/GEI and homebound.
Mr. Michael, Moseley, Assistant Principal (Junior)
Mr. Moseley attended Emporia State University and has taught Business Education for Valley Center High School for the past 12 years. During this time he has taught many business classes, including college credit courses and coached both DECA and Scholars Bowl. The most rewarding aspect of his time teaching has been seeing students come into their own as they discover their passion for business and extend their learning beyond the classroom. He has also gained valuable experience and broadened his perspective through serving on various committees that include the Student Improvement Team, CTE Advisory Committee, and the IPS Committee. During his time serving as the CTE PLC Lead and mentoring several new teachers, he has had the privilege of working with some of the most dedicated and passionate educators around. He has a wonderful wife, Elizabeth, who keeps him grounded and never lets him stay still for more than a few minutes and three awesome kids, Jayden, Henry, and Grace who bring them the greatest joy and highest levels of frustration, sometimes in the same day. As a family they love to spend their time outdoors: hiking, camping, and going for random walks. Mr. Moseley is looking forward to working with the great staff, students and community of Derby!
Some of his specific administrative duties at Derby High School include the following areas: 11th-grade principal, staff evaluations, athletic/activity supervision, master schedule, Skyward, State Assessment supervisor, parent-teacher conferences, Pantherpawlooza, college and career readiness, CTE coordinator, concurrent/dual credit and ACT testing supervisor.
Mrs. Cheryl Parks, Assistant Principal (Senior)
Mrs. Parks was born and raised in Southern California where she earned her Bachelors in Biology at California State University, San Bernardino. She then resided in Texas for nearly 22 years. She began her teaching career in Longview, Texas 15 years ago. While teaching in Longview she earned her Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. She moved with her husband and son to the Houston area in 2011 where she continued to learn and grow as an educator and educational leader. For the past four years, she was a high school Science Teacher and also lead as the Science Department Chair. She is looking forward to her new life and career adventure in Kansas with her husband of 25 years. She can’t wait to explore the Wichita area and the state of Kansas with her husband, children and grandchildren. Above all, she is excited to be a part of the Derby High School Panther family and a member of the Derby community where everyone has been very accepting and inviting.
Some of her specific administrative duties at Derby High School include the following areas: 12th-grade principal, staff evaluations, athletic/activity supervision, ELL, accreditation/school improvement, curriculum oversight, AP program coordinator, Special Education building coordinator, PBIS, online programming, textbooks and graduation.