ATKINSON — Atkinson Academy Principal Heidi Webster announced last week that she is moving to Malaysia at the end of the school year.
The Timberlane Regional School Board accepted Webster's resignation Thursday night. Webster, who has held the job for eight years, has accepted a job as an assistant elementary school principal at the International School Kuala Lumpur.
It all happened very quickly, she said. While she has been thinking about teaching internationally for years, she said she fell into her new position at a job fair two weeks ago. She interviewed last weekend and was immediately offered the job.
"The time is right," Webster said.
She told students on Thursday so they would hear about it before her resignation was announced at the School Board meeting. She also sent a letter home with students on Friday.
Webster, 57, earned more than $79,000 in 2007. Prior to coming to Atkinson, she was a principal and held a number of education jobs in Vermont.
She signed a two-year contract with the International School system but said she is open to staying longer if she is enjoying herself. Her children are grown and she isn't married.
"There's really no reason I can't go see the world," Webster said.
Of course, she first has to sell her house in Derry and get rid of her sweaters and jackets, she said with a laugh. Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia, which sits near the equator and has a tropical climate.
It's a mostly American staff working at the International School, Webster said, and children from more than 50 countries attend. It's English-speaking though, so she won't have to become fluent in Malay before leaving in mid-July.
"It's a wonderful school, and I'll be working with some terrific people," she said.
The International School Kuala Lumpur runs pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Webster will be an assistant principal for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, which is on its own campus.
Webster is the third administrator who will leave Timberlane on June 30. Director of Elementary Education Peg Ralph and Athletic Director Bucky Tardif have both announced their retirements. The school district will be accepting applications for both of those positions through this week.
