Barton Creek Elementary School principal John Andrews has stepped down from his position.

In a brief letter dated Dec. 2 to the Barton Creek community, Andrews, who has served as the school’s principal for five and a half years, said he was resigning due to personal reasons that he did not specify.

“Personally, the time is right for me to concentrate on other things in my life and move forward,” Andrews said. “I have enjoyed the time I have spent here, watching our wonderful students grow and learn. I also have valued the relationships and friendships I have made.”

Eanes school district Superintendent Nola Wellman has appointed former Barton Creek principal Ellen Arnold to serve as interim principal for the school through the remainder of the school year. Arnold served as the school’s principal for six years, from 1996-2001. She began her duties as interim principal on Friday.

“Because she has other obligations, Mrs. Arnold will only be available three and one half days a week,” Wellman told Barton Creek parents in a letter also dated Dec. 2. “We have developed a schedule wherein administrators from the district office, including myself, who have been school level leaders previously, will be at the school to ensure that Barton Creek students, staff and community have a leader on a daily basis.”

Prior to joining the Barton Creek staff as an assistant principal in 1995, Arnold was an assistant principal at Forest Trail Elementary School from 1994-96. Before relocating to the Washington, D.C., area, Arnold taught fourth grade at Forest Trail Elementary School and Spanish at Hill Country Middle School, said Dale Whitaker, Eanes communication director.

Arnold has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education/Spanish from Sul Ross State University in Abilene, Texas, and a master’s degree in Leadership from George Mason University in Fairfax County, Va.