Addison Elementary School will soon have a new principal.

Karen Crowder, who has been in charge of the Northeast Cobb school for more than seven years, is retiring effective Dec. 1.

Crowder's retirement was accepted Thursday by the Cobb Board of Education, and the process for appointing her successor is underway. 

Crowder, a Cobb native with degrees from the University of Georgia and the University of West Georgia, has been a teacher and administrator in public education for nearly 30 years.

Addison, located at 3055 Ebenezer Road, opened in 1988 and became Georgia's first charter school in 1995.

In a message posted on her school blog earlier this month, Crowder wrote:

"I believe it to be in the best interest of the school to have someone join the community mid-year to plan the governance model with all stakeholders for next school year. It has been an honor to work alongside you all! Addison is a golden nugget -- a just right size school, extremely knowledgeable teachers, smart students and involved parents."