Principals were appointed for Washington Jr. High School, Frances Willard Elementary School, and Thomas Jefferson Elementary School for the 2023-2024 school year. The hires are all well-known faces. They all have been serving as Interim Principals for their schools for the current school year.
Tuesday night's approval from the board officially makes them principals.
Tonya Smith was selected as Washington Jr. High's Principal. Tonya has worked as a Dean of Students at WJHS for two years, and the Assitant Principal at Washington for three years before being selected as the Interim Principal at WJHS. As an administrator at Washington, Tonya has become a strong force in implementing cultural competency learning and discussions within her teams. She is a member of the District’s CQ Team and has worked closely with the district's equity consultant to implement CQ study groups with Washington's paraprofessionals and educators. Tonya has also been a leading administrator in guiding her team and building towards implementing positive student expectations that have led to a safe environment for students.
Tonya Smith with Superintendent Dr. Lawrence
Nicole Melody will serve as the principal of Frances Willard Elementary School. Nicole has worked as a Junior High School English Language Arts teacher within the RIMSD for 15 years, then as a Teaching and Learning Intern for one year, then as the Elementary Assistant Principal at Frances Willard for eight years before being selected as the 2022-23 Interim Principal at Frances Willard Elementary. As the Elementary Assistant Principal, Nicole implemented her relationship-building skills, willingness to learn, and strong work ethic immediately. Nicole brings a tremendous amount of knowledge to the RIMSD Administration team. Nicole is an advocate for the students, staff, and parents of the RIMSD, but more importantly, she is a face and spokesperson for the Frances Willard Elementary School community.
Nicole Melody with Superintendent Dr. Lawrence
Ian Scott will serve as building principal for Thomas Jefferson Elementary School. Ian worked as an elementary classroom teacher within the RIMSD for four years and then as a Student Assistance Manager (SAM) at the Rock Island Center for Math & Science for three years before being selected as the 2022-23 Interim Principal at Thomas Jefferson Elementary. As an elementary teacher, Ian developed into a strong relationship builder with his students and parents. Ian had shown great growth in his understanding and implementation of instructional strategies for all students. As a SAM, Ian established himself as a strong communicator with the ability to listen and guide groups to be solution focused. Ian is a hard worker and takes the initiative to learn to be a strong building manager and instructional leader for the RIMSD. Ian has been trained as a School Improvement Grant classroom teacher (at Frances Willard), a Light House School classroom teacher (at Eugene Field), a building manager (at RICMS), and an Elementary Principal (at Thomas Jefferson). Ian is passionate about the work and not afraid to use the resources available to him to provide for his students and staff.
Ian Scott with Superintendent Dr. Lawrence