Shelby principal new superintendent in Monroeville

MONROEVILLE — Kristin Kaple-Jones is the new superintendent of the Monroeville Local Schools. Kaple-Jones is replacing Ralph Moore, who is retiring at the end of this year. Kaple-Jones has been principal at Dowds Elementary in Shelby for the past 10 years and prior to that, she taught high school English for eight years at Shelby High School. She received her doctorate of education administration from Ohio University, her master's of educational education from Ashland University and her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame. "I really wanted to be in a district where I could be connected to everything going on and be involved," the 1998 Shelby High School graduate said. "Being a small district I feel it gives me a connection to the school and community." Has she been looking? "Not really," she said. "I was waiting for the right fit. I saw this posting before Christmas and I liked what I saw." What does she bring to the table? "I am hardworking and have a positive attitude," Kaple-Jones said. "I want to keep building on the success they have had. "I am proud to be an Eagle." "We're extremely excited to have Kristin join us," board president Betsy Ruggles said. "We were impressed by her approach to education and understanding of our rural community. "Another factor that stood out was the level of engagement she has had with her local schools and with educational activities throughout the state over the past several years. "The board wants to thank Ralph Moore for his seven years leading our district. Ralph led us out of some very difficult financial challenges while taking steps to improve our academics including improving our state academic test scores and our local benchmark rankings, the expansion of our College Credit Plus and nationally-recognized robotics programs; receiving the state auditors award; and passing a key state of Ohio performance audit. Ralph has been a tremendous asset to our district," said Ruggles. "We believe our schools' reputation helped in soliciting more than 20 strong applicants for the superintendent's role. All our seven finalists had either superintendent experience or their doctoral degrees. I think that speaks volumes how far the reputation of Monroeville schools have come in the last few years." Kaple-Jones will join the district effective Aug. 1. She and her husband, Josh, currently reside in New Washington. The board, in conjunction with the administration, will host an introductory meeting with the district staff and one for the community in the near future. Kaple-Jones was unavailable for comment.