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Next year NS school district will have two new people filling in the assistant superintendent and superintendent positions after Randy Shelley, the current assistant superintendent, was recently hired as the superintendent at Wayne school district.
Shelley made the difficult decision because he feels that the position will bring him new opportunities and challenges.
“This is an opportunity for personal and professional growth and to make a difference,” Shelley said.
Shelley has been serving in the NS school district for 25 years now and has held his current position for ten of those years. Prior to becoming the assistant superintendent, Shelley was the middle school principal, and he taught music before that.
Beyond just having had worked for the NS school district for 25 years, he grew up in Sanpete and calls it home.
“I grew up in North Sanpete, I am a graduate of NS [class of 88’]. [I am going to miss the] community and friends, the people I work with here,” Shelley said.
Though he is going to miss working for NS, he is excited about his position in Wayne school district, which isn’t so new to him after all.
“The unique thing is this was the starting point of my career,” Shelley said, “I taught for two years at Wayne school district before I came to NS, so I am going back to where I started.”
For his first years at Wayne, he taught music, but education wasn’t always his plan. It all changed though after his experiences in college.
“When I graduated I first went to Snow College right out of high school, and then after that, I went to SUU for my bachelor’s degree, and later got my master’s degree at BYU,” Shelley said, “When I went to college I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I had an advisor at Snow that asked me if I like music because that was what I did in high school. So, when I said, ‘Yeah I like music,’ the advisor said, ‘Let’s put you in music theory and let’s put you in this music class,’ so we did. By the time I was finishing my associate’s degree I was halfway through a music major. So, when I went on to my bachelor’s degree [in music] I stayed down that path, got a master’s degree [in education] and that is how I ended up in education.”
Though education wasn’t always on the agenda, he doesn’t regret taking the chance to make it into his career.
“I will say [education] is rewarding and was a good career choice. I didn’t have anything to do so it was the path I went down and here we are 27 years later,” Shelley said.
His wife of 30 years, Chalyece Shelley, also pursued education for her career and is a special education director for NS school district, and Shelley’s new work position isn’t going to change that.
“For now [Chalyece] is going to continue to work for NS school district and we will see how that plays out,” Shelley said. “If we have opportunities for her outside the district then she will eventually move with me.”
Though nearly a 4-hour driving distance, the two plan to stay close in touch and see each other often.
“For now, we’ll just travel on weekends, between the two of us, one week she will come to visit me and another I will come home,” Shelley said.
Due to his wife staying in Sanpete and retirement plans, he plans on keeping his home still in his hometown.
“I don’t plan on selling my house here, I’m planning on keeping it for retirement. We’ll be around!” Shelley said.
With all the arrangements made on Shelley’s end, the NS school district will need to hire a new assistant superintendent.
“They have already opened [the position for assistant superintendent] for in-house applicants only right now, so we will have to wait and see who applies, and then they will do interviews and pick the best candidate,” Shelley said. “So that job is open and will close on the [May 14].”
Having two new people in both superintendent positions will pose some challenges for the district, but Shelley is optimistic about the abilities and visions of the new and current administration.
“[The impact of two new people in the assistant superintendent and superintendent positions on the district] depends on who those people are, but I truly believe that Nan is qualified for the position–she will do a great job; she has a vision and a direction she wants to go,” Shelley said, “I think there is a lot of things that will need to be learned, there will be a learning curve for both people, but we got really intelligent administrators in our district so I think they will be just fine, it will just take them a little bit of time to get the hang of it and figure out what’s what.”
Nan Ault, the new superintendent for the upcoming year, feels similar to Shelley about the learning process and supportive staff.
“It will take me and a new assistant a bit of time to figure out how we work, but we will get it done,” Ault said, “Randy has left our district in great shape, so we are very fortunate. Luckily, the staff at the district office is very knowledgeable and they make a strong team.”
Shelley has done a lot for the NS school district to help it be in great shape, much of which he is proud to say he was a part of.
“I am proud of the impact I had on students as a teacher when I was teaching. I feel like I have been highly responsible for some of the initiatives that are in place,” Shelley said, “For instance, our instructional coaching model we use to help mentor teachers, as well as the technology initiatives in the district. I would say of all the things we have got going, instructional coaching, technology, and current staff are what I am most proud of.”
While the staff of the administrative team is supportive of the new position, Shelley has been instrumental in helping these initiatives become a reality for the district, and he will be missed..
“We are always proud and supportive when a member of our administrative team advances to other positions,” Ault said. “Randy has been a part of North Sanpete for over two decades, so the experience and knowledge he takes with him will be missed.”
Upon being proud of some of the ongoing initiatives he helped establish, he has enjoyed the teachers and staff he has worked with while in his current position the most.
“[What I have enjoyed most about being assistant superintendent] is the association with the teachers and staff,” Shelley said, “I have hired a lot of teachers over the years and I really enjoy the people I work with, I enjoy the teachers, I enjoy the principals. Just work relationships and associations I have are what I enjoy most.”
With NS school district still in his heart, he is excited to see what lies ahead for him in this new position opportunity.
“It’s been a pleasure to work in the NS school district, I’ve enjoyed it. It’s a great place with great people and great students and lots of good things going on,” Shelley said, “I am excited to have been a part of it, but I’m looking forward to the future and a new challenge and just excited to see what lies ahead.”
