COURTLAND—Southampton County School Board on Monday hired a principal for Capron Elementary School.

Virginia Hawkins, who is currently the school district’s instructional specialist and school test coordinator, was chosen from 16 applicants, said Superintendent Charles Turner. She replaces Sandra Pettigrew, who is retiring after 37 years in education. Hawkins will be paid $67,000 annually.

“We were seeking to find a principal who could continue the legacy of educational excellence which Mrs. Sandra Pettigrew leaves,” Turner said. “She has experience as an elementary principal and was twice named the State Teacher of the Year for the Commonwealth of Virginia. She will be a welcomed addition to the administrative team of Southampton County Public Schools.”

A resident of Newport News, Hawkins has worked in public education for 30 years. She spent nearly all of her career with Newport News Public Schools, retiring in 2011 as its federal programs administrator. She served as principal at Magruder Primary School for three years and Magruder Early Childhood Center for three years.

Hawkins has a bachelor’s degree in human ecology education from Hampton University and master’s in education from The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg.

Pettigrew has been principal at Capron for 11 years. Prior to that, the 61-year-old Danville native was principal for 10 years at an elementary school in Prince George County and an assistant principal for three years at Hopewell Middle School.

Pettigrew spent her first 12 years in education in Petersburg, where she taught fourth and fifth grades and was the coordinator for the gifted student and visiting teacher programs.