The Brewton City Board of Education on Monday voted to name Mary Bell principal at T.R. Miller High School.

Bell has served as assistant principal at the school. Principal Donnie Rotch was killed in a car wreck Aug. 11.

“This has been a very difficult week and a half,” Superintendent Lynn Smith said. “(The teachers and staff) have done a great job.”

Smith said he was “happy to recommend” Bell to replace Rotch, who had been principal at T.R. Miller for nine years and spent 36 years at the school.

School board president Stephanie Walker welcomed Bell to the position. “We appreciate that Mary wanted the job,” she said.

Smith said coping with Rotch’s loss will continue to be difficult.

“We have to move on. But Donnie’s going to be missed every day,” he said. “We’re still struggling with it. We haven’t forgotten he was there, and he won’t be forgotten.”