Mitchell has previously served as the principal of James B. Edwards Elementary. Throughout her career, Mitchell, an award-winning Charleston County School District teacher and administrator, has held other various positions in education including Assistant Principal and Assistant Administrator at Charles Pinckney Elementary and teacher in a variety of domestic and international settings. Mitchell holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Ohio State and a Master’s in Leadership and Counseling from Eastern Michigan. Mitchell has received several leadership awards including the 2014-2015 Elementary Learning Community’s Star Principal Award and the Palmetto Gold Award every year during her tenure at James B. Edwards.
School Category: Elementary
Amy Cario
Amy Cario started with the Charleston County School District as a teacher in the Deaf / Hard of Hearing Program at J. H. Berry Elementary School in 1988. She continued to serve Deaf / Hard of Hearing students at Oakland Elementary and at Charlestowne Academy as the program moved locations.
In 2008, Cario joined the administrative team at C.E. Williams Middle School as an Assistant Principal. In 2010, she was tasked to serve the students, faculty, and staff, at Edith L. Frierson Elementary as Principal. From 2012-2021, she filled the same role of Principal for the St.Andrew’s School of Math and Science Elementary.
In 2021, Cario joined the operations team as a Principal on Special Assignment to update educational building specifications for new construction projects and serve as a liaison for other Principals during the building process.
Cario has a Bachelor of Arts in Deaf/Hard of Hearing Education from Lenoir Rhyne College and a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education Administration from The Citadel.
Jennifer Swearingen
This is Dr. Swearingen’s 25th year working in the Charleston County School District. She was a 5th and 6th grade math teacher at Ladson Elementary School, the assistant principal at Jennie Moore Elementary School, and the principal at Oakland Elementary School before becoming a Director of the Elementary Learning Community. In this role, she supervised and supported elementary schools across the district. She is now the interim Associate Superintendent for Elementary Learning Community.
Dr. Swearingen has a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from the College of Charleston, a Masters of Elementary Education Administration from The Citadel, a Specialist in Educational Leadership from The Citadel, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration (CD-12) from the University of South Carolina.
In her free time, she likes to do yard work and spend time with her dogs and family.
Jeff Beckwith
Jeff began his career in education as an elementary school Physical Education teacher in South Carolina. During that time, he also served as an ESOL instructor for the district and coached baseball and basketball for Woodland High School. Since his time as a teacher, Jeff has served as an Assistant Principal for 4 years at the middle and high school levels followed by 14 years as a Principal at the elementary level in South Carolina and at the high school level in New York. He received his teaching degree from Chowan University and his Master’s Degree from Charleston Southern University.
