Rhett Barrett has been selected to be the Sonora Middle School assistant principal.
"I want to thank Dr. Cleveland, the district leadership team, the Springdale School Board and Chelsea Jennings for the opportunity to help lead Springdale Schools as an assistant principal at Sonora Middle School," Barrett said. "As an educator in Springdale for the past 17 years, I am grateful and excited to continue serving our community in this new leadership role at SMS."
Barrett was with Hellstern Middle School since 2006. He served as a STEM educator for both sixth- and seventh-grade and, most recently, for four years as a math and science instructional facilitator.
Jared Cleveland, Springdale School District superintendent, said he looks forward to watching Barrett grow as a leader and to his contributions to the Sonora Middle School family.
"Mr. Barrett is a very confident and talented educator that will bring strong instructional leadership to Sonora Middle School and will complement the already strong leadership team led by Mrs. Chelsea Jennings," Cleveland said.
Jennings, Sonora Middle School principal, said Barrett's experience and qualifications will be an asset to the school's mission of achieving high levels of learning for all students.
"We are excited to welcome Mr. Barrett to the Spartan family," Jennings said. "We appreciate he has a heart for building relationships and serving his school community."
Barrett is a proud Arkansan and a Razorback from Jonesboro who came to Northwest Arkansas in 1998 and never left.
Barrett earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2003 and a Master of Arts in teaching in 2005 from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, as well a Master of Education degree in educational leadership in 2018 from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.
"I am hopeful and honored to transition into my new role as assistant principal at Sonora MS, where I will continue to dedicate myself to serving the Sonora students, families and staff, as well as the surrounding community of Springdale," Barrett said.
Barrett and his wife, Jenn, live in Springdale.
"We love being a part of the rich diversity and beautiful community of our city," he said. "We are excited to join the Sonora community and will continue to build relationships and local partnerships across NWA that positively impact the lives and promote the learning of middle school students at SMS."
Barrett and his wife enjoy traveling in their free time, Barrett said, as well as hosting and spending time with friends and family, cooking, eating, laughing and just living life together!