As an assistant principal and prospective school building leader, Dr. KaRon Webb looked into available positions knowing it would not be enough for his future school to be a good fit for himself alone. As a husband and father of four children, his passion for education and student and teacher advocacy would need to lead to home.
The Webb family found that home on The Ridge at Ridge Spring-Monetta High School.
Webb will be joining Aiken County’s ONE TEAM during the 2019-20 school after Aiken County Board of Education members approved his appointment as the new principal of Ridge Spring-Monetta High School during the school board’s March 26 regularly scheduled meeting.
“Community is very important to our family, and this opportunity was the right fit for us. I am truly excited about the ability to lead Ridge Spring-Monetta High School,” Dr. Webb stated Wednesday. “I am passionate about making sure we reach our goals and I am going to make sure those goals are set high. I cannot wait to get there and start developing those important relationships with students, faculty and parents.”
Kyle Blankenship, the school’s current leader, has accepted a new position within the District for the 2019-20 school year.
“I was really attracted to Ridge Spring-Monetta High School because of their school thematic program and Farm to Table focus area,” stated Dr. Webb. “I have felt for some time that education, especially in high school, would move in the direction where it mirrored the college level in that it would begin to have students focus on specific skills, jobs and career paths, and that seems to be where we are headed.”
Webb’s own educational experiences have provided him with a unique perspective on the collective role educators play in molding their students into productive citizens.
“The responsibility of educating students does not fall to any single person in a school setting,” commented Dr. Webb. “The principal, administration, counselors and teachers should all be providing some type of advisement to students. A lot of the support I had growing up did not come from home, but from those folks at school in the teachers, coaches and counselors who supported me and sort of took me under their wing. If they had not done that for me I am not sure I would be in the position I am now.”
That type of dedication requires plenty of help, and Dr. Webb says he knows exactly where to find it.
“I very much look forward to working with our teachers,” commented Dr. Webb. “I will be there to support each teacher with whatever needs they may have. I do have high expectations, but I believe that as a team we can reach those expectations. As much as I want to place students in a position to be successful, I want to do that same thing for our teachers as well.”
Webb’s academic background includes an undergraduate degree in Computer Science, and a Masters in Educational Administration from South Carolina State University. His Doctorate of Educational Administration also came from S.C. State University.
Prior to his current position in which he serves as an assistant principal at Chester High School, Dr. Webb served as an assistant administrator for three years at Spring Valley High School. He is a member of the South Carolina Association of School Administrators (SCASA) and the Office of School Leadership Development Aspiring School Leaders.
Webb says educators should not shy away from challenges, but rather, they should embrace them.
“At the high school level we have a responsibility to be able to help guide students in helping them find post-secondary pathways by exposing them to new career opportunities through project-based learning in the classroom,” he added. “We need to give them the opportunity to get hands on with the curriculum and what it is that we expect them to learn. Students are changing. They are quickly gaining access to technology at younger and younger ages. We need to develop new, more creative ways to engage them and use that to our advantage.”
He will begin his duties as Ridge Spring-Monetta High School principal in July.
“I love working with students and I am passionate about what it is we are charged to do in education,” stated Dr. Webb. “I believe we have a responsibility to put every student in a position to be successful. It is their life and they will need to make decisions based upon their interests and goals, but as the adults and the schools leaders, we need to be able to put them in a position to reach those goals.”
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LINK TO DISTRICT PRESS RELEASE: 2019 PR DISTRICT NAMES RSMHS PRINCIPAL