After 17 years at South, starting from an English teacher, to assistant principal, and then becoming the head principal for the last 4 years, Principal Angie Pappas-Muyco is leaving the building.

Pappas-Muyco will still be working in Parkway, but her new title will be Executive Director of Secondary Schools. 

“I will be overseeing and supporting middle school principals and high school principals,” she said. 

Pappas-Muyco believes the hardest challenge of her leaving South is not working with the people she has grown so happy to be around.

“I’m going to miss all the people for sure. The students, teachers, staff members, and our community. South is such a great place, and it’s going to be hard not to be here every day,” she said.

Students agree it will be sad to not have her around at the school anymore. Senior Mariam Rana grew close to Pappas-Muyco through the Mock Trial team. Rana explains when Pappas-Muyco stepped up to be the team’s sponsor. 

“I had asked 15 different teachers, but being our sponsor was a pretty big commitment, so I knew it was going to be tough to find someone up for it. I had asked her to send out a mass email to see if any teachers were interested, but to my surprise, she offered to sponsor us herself,” Rana said. 

Rana said she wishes Pappas-Muyco luck in her new position.

“I’m excited for the next step in her career. I know that wherever she is in administration, she’ll help so many Parkway families succeed in supporting curious, capable learners. Her dedication is so very appreciated here at South, and will continue to drive meaningful connections with the Parkway Community,” Rana said.

Even with a change in career, Pappas-Muyco doesn’t at all disregard how much she will miss South and how it’s a difficult change. She said she has experienced so many memories over the past 17 years–it is too hard to choose just one.

“It’s really hard after 17 years just to name one thing, because we’ve just gone through so many great things together, and also some things that have challenged us. But being together and just having that community and that pride in our school, our helping and wanting to support each other is what really has been the best experience, overall, awesome,” she said. 

When Pappas-Muyco started at South she was an English teacher alongside Lisa Giljum-Jansky.

“I have mixed feelings about her leaving South. I’m so sad she won’t be leading us anymore, but mostly I am happy for her and the district because I think she’s going to do a great job in her new role. Because she is such a genuine person, who leads with intelligence, organization, and emapthy, she is a perfect fit for leading and supporting secondary principals. But that said, we’re really going to miss her,” Giljum-Jansky said.

Giljum-Jansky said she believes Pappas-Muyco has done an outstanding job with everything she has done while being here.

“She has done a really great job of keeping our focus on what’s important–people and learning. Nothing is more important than taking care of the human beings in this building, and she makes sure we (staff and students alike) work toward that priority. Whether she is listening to teacher and student concerns, meeting with parents, sponsoring the Mock Trial Team, supervising a sporting event, or doing one of her four million other responsibilities, she is always supporting the people and the learning here at South. It is impossible to work or go to school in this building and not see how much she cares and how hard she works,” she said. 

Pappas-Muyco gave one statement to reflect her time at South.

“South is super–bottom line,” she said.