Jesse Messimer Moves Up to Assistant Director of Schools
June 4, 2020
Evensville, TN — Dr. Scotty Herrell is the new principal of Rhea County High School. He replaces Jesse Messimer, who moves up to assistant director of schools. Dr. Harrell comes from Oak Ridge High School, where he was vice principal since 2011. He was assistant principal at Clinton High School from 2009 until 2011. Some of his duties at Oak Ridge included 9th grade Vice Principal for Student Services, School Budget/Finance, Special Education Department Leader, School Testing Coordinator, Building, Grounds, and Maintenance, Safety Team Leader and Advanced External Review Team Member. Dr. Harrell began his teaching career as Pre-Engineering Teacher at Clinton Middle School from 2005-2008 in Clinton, Tennessee.
Dr. Harrell is the son of Sharon and Donnie Herrell. He has been married to Betsy Prine Herrell since March 17, 2019. Harrell is 41 years old. He was raised in Clinton, Tennessee and graduated from Clinton High School in 1997. He graduated from Maryville College in 2001. He received a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Lincoln Memorial in 2004 and then received an Education Specialist Degree. in Administration and Supervision from Lincoln Memorial University located in Harrogate, Tennessee in 2008. His latest educational achievement was his Doctor of Education Degree in Educational Leadership from East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee.
Dr. Harrell has been involved since 2013 with Youth Leadership of Oak Ridge where he worked in conjunction with other professionals to develop a program that can grow dynamic leaders in our community.
Dr. Harrell shared some background information with Rhea County Magazine.
What did you know about Rhea County High School and Rhea County area before pursuing the job?
“Rhea County is absolutely beautiful. My wife and I both agreed that it would be the place we would relocate to if we ever left Oak Ridge. I am well aware of the community support at Rhea County High School, be it through the academic programs or extra-curricular activities, the community wants the best for the students. I looked at the Mission, Vision, and Core Beliefs and was pleasantly surprised at the number of times students were mentioned, as well as the staff and the stakeholders. This community supports, believes in, and wants to grow students to be the best they can be.”
What do you envision as biggest challenges as you move from assistant principal to principal?
“Rhea County High School has a long tradition of positive leadership from Mr. Levengood and Mr. Messimer. These two men are staples in this community and are both excellent leaders for our schools. Having them as a resource will be extremely helpful during this transition. The biggest challenge, as someone from outside the community, is to establish relationships. Leadership, to me, is about serving others and earning trust. I believe in people and it is my hope that our students and staff will see that I truly care about them and their success. Earning the trust to lead within the school and to establish myself in the community is essential. After meeting members of the Board of Education, some of the students, and the majority of the staff we feel extremely welcomed and hope to be accepted as members of the RCHS family and the Rhea County community.”
What are some of your interests/community involvement outside of work?
“I have been serving as a drummer in our church for over 10 years. That is extremely important to me, to be able to use a talent to glorify God and to bring others closer to Him. I also love being outside, whether it be hunting, fishing, camping, golfing, or hiking any leisure time outside is something that I enjoy. I also love college sports and we are Vol fans, win or lose. This past year I worked with a group of men in our community to help form a non-profit called Cleats for Kids Anderson County. The goal is to work with youth sports organizations to provide athletic equipment to children in the community that are in need and cannot afford proper athletic equipment. I have volunteered for various events in our community as well.”
Who was a teacher(s) you had in school, who made you want to work in education?
“Starting with my teachers in the 3rd grade I really started to see what support felt like. From that point on, whether it be teachers, coaches, or administrators, I really appreciated all of the efforts put in to get us to achieve our goals. Honestly, this list would be extremely long and I would feel like I excluded someone if I made a list of names. I do believe that those that had the most influence over my education know who they are and know how important they were to my development. They made a difference in me and it made me want to go into education to try to make a difference for others.”
