By MEALAND RAGLAND-HUDGINS
Rutherford County Schools
June 25, 2024
Rutherford County Schools Director Dr. James “Jimmy” Sullivan has appointed Ynetia Campbell as principal of Kittrell Elementary School.
“She recently left Murfreesboro City Schools as the highly effective leader of Northfield Elementary to focus on possibilities outside of education. However, Kittrell is a special school and I'm pleased to welcome her back to RCS,” Sullivan said. “Under Ynetia's prior leadership, the school reached Reward School status and achieved positive academic outcomes for students.”
Campbell succeeds Aaron Culver as principal.
Entering her 25th year as an educator and second tenure as the school’s principal, she called Kittrell “one of those special places.”
“You have to be there to actually know what it's like. Everybody knows everybody. If you have a student, chances are their parents and grandparents have gone to school there,” said Campbell, who was Kittrell’s principal from 2014 until 2021.
“The pride runs really, really, really deep. Once a Blue Devil, always a Blue Devil.”
Campbell helped bring The Amazing Shake to Rutherford County in 2015 after taking a group of Kittrell faculty and staff members to a training at Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, where the competition originated. The contest places emphasis on respect, manners and interactions in professional settings.
“We just wanted the soft skills, like greeting people and making eye contact, to become part of everyday life in our school,” she said. “Now to see it at so many schools in Rutherford County and Murfreesboro City, it’s a pretty good feeling.”
The goals for Kittrell, Campbell said, are simple.
“The vision is always to have our students and teachers excel. Making sure we keep family and community ties intact and strengthening them. Whatever we need to do to make our students successful, that’s what we’ll do,” she said.
Campbell holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Tennessee State University, along with a master’s in Administration and Supervision and an Education Specialist degree from Middle Tennessee State University.