Ashland Middle School Welcomes New Principal Rebecca Howell
Sasha Bush
The Ashland Beacon
Rebecca Howell, former Oakview Elementary School Principal, will be opening a new chapter in her life this August. This upcoming school year, Howell will be gracing the halls of Ashland Middle School as its newly appointed principal. Howell has worked within the educational system for over two decades and has known from a very young age that she was destined to be in a position of leadership within the educational system. “I will be starting my 25th year in education this fall. My first teaching job was in August of 1999, and I taught Sophomore and Senior English as well as a Speech class at Betsy Layne High School,” shared Howell.
Currently, in her second year of a doctoral program at Morehead State University, Howell remarked that she has been a student since the young age of five. Howell has always considered herself a people
person and held her ability to build relationships with both students and staff very closely.
Howell is excited to start this new chapter in her life and looks forward to the change. “I know change is hard, and leaving Oakview is one of the hardest things I will ever do. The staff and students are truly amazing, and I love them dearly. But, change is growth. If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you. So, I am very excited about this new chapter,” noted Howell.
Howell added, “The work educators do is hard and takes long hours and tons of commitment. My staff becomes my work family. The students make all the effort worth it. At AMS, I have a whole new family to learn and mentor and use their individual talents to help students and families. I am excited to meet everyone and get to work.”
So, what is Howell’s favorite thing about working with kids? “Hands down the students. I have been at every level K-12, and no matter the age, kids are kids. They keep me young,” declared Howell.
Howell also looks forward to helping make Ashland Middle School a better place than it already is. Howell explained, “I hope to build upon the good things already in place at AMS. I want to build a team that provides quality instructional experiences for all students. And, to me, all truly means all. I will focus on what I call the three A’s: Academics, Arts, and Athletics. All of these are important to a thriving school culture. I truly believe every student deserves a school experience that allows their individual interests and talents to grow.”
With so much of the nation’s education system in such turmoil, this new change for Ashland Middle School is sure to be one of positivity and growth. Howell’s ability to meet students at their level and decipher what their needs are for them to learn and thrive within a learning environment is simply put… a beautiful thing.
Howell’s approach not only puts the students’ needs front and center but also ensures they are set on the road to success. Howell shared, “Our students and families have so many obstacles to overcome
daily. As educators, we must first meet the physical needs of students before we can ever teach them content.” Howell believes that one of the biggest challenges facing students, teachers, administration, and staff is that of mental health.
The last few years have really thrown our educational system into a state of whiplash.
With the onset of Covid, came so much uncertainty for teachers and students alike. Teachers were thrown into new uncharted and untested ways of teaching. Students were thrown into what seemed like a period of never-ending seclusion as they spent days staring at a computer screen for both their education and social interaction. But because of people like Rebecca Lynn Howell, we all survived, learned, and moved on from it.
Howell feels that even though times have changed the role of leadership has not. “Sure, the times have changed, but the role of meeting family’s individual needs hasn’t. Principals have to support
teachers in their efforts to promote student achievement; that has always been our role. We also have always had to ensure systems and processes are in place for successful school cultures. To me, it is not that it is tougher, just the needs of the students today have changed, which presents tougher obstacles.”
With the experience, kind heart, and determination to make Ashland Middle School the best middle school in the area, Howell is going to leave an imprint on AMS that will resonate for many years to come. “I live by knowing that at the end of the day, I made decisions based on students. I have to be able to sleep at night. I want to be able to say, I helped someone each day. If it is only to listen, hug, or offer a smile, I just try to be a good person and always kind. The world needs lots of grace and kindness.” Howell shared.