As many as six new faces will be part of the staff at Norris Elementary in its final year of operation.

But the pilot who will guide the Norris Navigators is anything but new as far as education in Traverse City schools is concerned.

Lisa Craker, who lives in Omena with her husband Alan, is the school’s new principal. She has been with Traverse City Area Public Schools for more than three decades, and has been a teacher, learning support specialist, language arts consultant and principal.

She’s also worked at several TCAPS elementary schools, including Long Lake, Interlochen and Silver Lake, and was a teacher at East Junior High when it first opened in 1992. She’s also a graduate of Traverse City Central High School.

No matter where she’s worked, however, she said she’s always welcomed a challenge.

“It’s always a learning curve, but it’s an interesting exercise at the same time,” she said of getting acclimated to different schools.

Craker takes over as Norris principal for Cathy Meyer-Looze, who is now an assistant principal at Traverse City West High School.

Three new staff members will join Craker at Norris this year. They are second-grade teacher Heather VanStratt, fifth-grade teacher Kim Mendoza, and special education instructor John Scrudato.

“We also anticipate adding two more staff people, a teacher-assistant and a special education-assistant,” Craker said last week.

Also new this year, Craker said, is implementation of “Read 180,” a computer-based reading assistance initiative.

“We’ll likely be zeroing in on fifth and sixth-graders with the program,” she said, though details won’t be finalized until school is in session.

In one of her first duties as Norris principal, Craker scheduled an open house from 4-5 p.m. today, Aug. 30, at the school.

“Parents will filter through the rooms to see where their child will, and we’re hoping grandparents come too,” she said.

School will begin at Norris with a half-day on Tuesday, Sept. 4, with full days beginning the following day.