BETHALTO - Shelby Norris might be new to Meadowbrook Intermediate School, but she has spent her whole career in Bethalto and there’s nowhere else she’d rather be.
Norris took on the principal role at Meadowbrook earlier this year after spending several years at Trimpe Middle School, Simpson Achievement Center and Civic Memorial High School. She knows firsthand how community-focused the Bethalto Community Unit School District #8 is, and she is proud to be a part of that environment.
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“This is definitely a community that leans into that Eagle Nation feel,” Norris said. “We are a community about our students. We come together when there’s crisis, but we also come together when there are good things.”
As a young adult, Norris didn’t necessarily expect to become a teacher. She didn’t know what she wanted to do when she grew up, but she knew she needed to be of service. Her family taught her the importance of helping others; at a young age, Norris understood that this was going to be a significant part of her future.
Her family moved to Bethalto during Norris’s sophomore year of high school. She graduated from Civic Memorial, then followed her sister to college, where she “just kind of fell into education.” But once she started studying education, she quickly fell in love.
“I knew I needed to be in something that made an impact, a long, lasting impact on others,” Norris remembered. “As I started digging into education, I found special education, and that really pulled at my heartstrings. I was like, ‘This is the place where I can make an impact on all kids.’”
Norris had the opportunity to complete her student teaching through Bethalto, and she jumped at the chance. Seventeen years later, she’s still in the school district and loving every minute.
She started her career in special education at Trimpe Middle School and Simpson Achievement Center, where she could provide students with “extra supports and TLC.” She then transitioned to an assistant principal role at Civic Memorial High School, and the high school level became her “jam” for six years until the principal position opened up at Meadowbrook last year.
At first, Norris was a little skeptical about working with the fourth and fifth graders, as she had always taught older students. But she has quickly discovered that Meadowbrook’s students are engaged, kind and funny, and she enjoys connecting with the kids and faculty members who make Meadowbrook so great.
“It’s nice when you can wake up and love what you do every day,” she said. “My bucket is full every day when I leave here. There’s an amazing staff out here that works hard for kids every single day. We have amazing parents and community members that we’re connecting with. And our students are fantastic, top-notch. They're excited to be here. They’re excited to take on a day of learning. So it has been a fabulous change for me.”
For Norris, the new role has also underlined what the school district is all about. Throughout her career, no matter what grade level she works with, the focus is on the students. She loves working with the other faculty and staff members at Bethalto to make sure they are providing the best education possible for local kids.
“Bethalto is a great place to be. It’s very student-centered,” she said. “I know that we have great things going on for kids here, and that’s what it’s all about: the students and getting them to be lifelong learners and beyond and helping them get to their next. Whether it’s at kindergarten, fifth grade, the high school, we’re all in this together and for our one main focus, and that’s kids.”
Outside of school, Norris stays “truly busy” with her family and 11-year-old son. She joked that she acts as his taxi driver, and she loves attending all of his activities. She’s teaching her son the importance of service, just like her parents taught her.
She is proud to be a part of the Bethalto school district and plans to continue serving the community. As the semester comes to a close, Norris can’t wait to complete her first year at Meadowbrook and share the experience with all the students, faculty, staff, Board of Education members and parents who make up the district.
“It’s pretty amazing to come back to that hometown and be a part of it and being able to have an impact beyond just being a community member,” she added. “It truly does feel like your family when you're in this community and within this school district. I love having that Eagle Nation family feel to it. Everybody’s all in, that’s for sure.”
