RUSSIA — A new high school principal was hired during a special Russia Local School Board of Education meeting Friday, June 4.

After goiing into executive session to interview the candidates, the board approved a motion the hire Janel Slonkosky as the K-12 principal. She was given a two-year contract at $81,000 beg9nning with the 2021-22 school year.

Slonkosky has been the principal of Holy Angels for the past two years and before that she was the fifth- and sixth-grade math teacher in Russia.

Current principal Marcus Bixler is leaving the district and returning to the classroom at Piqua High School.

A motion passed to employ Madison Borchers as fifth- and sixth-grade math teacher at an annual salary of $37,307 for the 2021-22 school year.