Coosa Elementary’s Roberts BCSD’s top elementary assistant principal for 2023
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
The COVID-19 pandemic affected everyone in different way, but for Coosa Elementary School Assistant Principal Renee Roberts, it helped to mold her into the administrator that she is today.
Roberts, who was recently named the Beaufort County School District’s (BCSD) 2023 Elementary Assistant Principal of the Year, started in her current position at Coosa in 2020, just before the pandemic hit and threw educators, students, parents and administrators into the world of online learning.
Melissa Pender, the school’s principal, also started in her current position at the same time.
“We were rollin’, we were finding our groove, learning our new roles, and then whoa,” Roberts said about being new to the assistant principal role when COVID-19 hit.
While it was a difficult time for most in the public education world, Roberts said that she thinks that the experience helped to shape who she is as an assistant principal and made her a better administrator and educator.
“It forced us to look and think even more outside of the box,” Roberts said.
Roberts said that the pandemic forced them to think about education in more creative ways in hopes of keeping students engaged and parents informed and involved, even though they couldn’t enter the building.
“It definitely pushed us to stretch ourselves in that aspect,” said Roberts.
Roberts, who was born and raised in Beaufort, began her career in education at Shell Point Elementary School – which has since been closed and replaced with Riverview Charter School – in 2002 as a 5th grade teacher.
In 2005, Roberts left Shell Point for Coosa Elementary, where she taught 4th grade before becoming a math instructional coach.
It was not too long before she was able to move into the literacy coach position, which excited her.
“Literacy is my passion,” Roberts said. “I wanted to stay there for a couple of years while I got my master’s in administration so that I could make a bigger impact.”
After she graduated with her masters in administration in 2012, Roberts applied for several assistant principal roles at other schools.
“I’ll admit, there were times when I felt defeated when I wouldn’t get an interview, or I would get an interview but not get the job,” Roberts said. “But truly when this opportunity opened up, ya know, this is where I was supposed to be – it all happens for a reason.”
Roberts knew she had been nominated by colleagues, but she said that there are so many great assistant principals who work in the BCSD so she never once thought she was guaranteed to be chosen.
“I was surprised, I was honored, to know that I had been nominated by my peers and for this committee to have chosen me out of the other people who were nominated,” Roberts said. “I’m definitely honored.”
As for what qualities make a good assistant principal, Roberts said being supportive is one of the most important.
“The role of the assistant principal is basically to do whatever it is that they can do to support the principal and the mission and the vision of the school,” Roberts said.
To her, an assistant principal is essentially a “jack of all trades and master of none” and needs to be a little bit involved in everything and be willing to jump in and do whatever it takes to help the students, parents, teachers and support staff at the school to have a great year.
Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. She formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She joined The Island News in 2022. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
