PENDLETON — Connie Rickert has been selected by leaders of the South Madison Community School Corp. to be the next principal of Pendleton Heights High School.

Rickert, a 1996 Lapel High School graduate, had been the assistant principal at Pendleton Heights for the past 10 years before the promotion and has a total of 16 years of public education experience.

Rickert taught social studies at Frankton Junior-Senior High School from 2002 to 2006 and another two years at Smyrna Middle School in Tennessee from 2006 to 2008, before taking an administrative role with Pendleton Heights in 2008.

After 10 years of being an assistant principal, Rickert said she was more than ready for the next step to keep the positive momentum going at the high school and make her staff, community and students proud.

“I’m ready for the challenge,” she said.

Rickert does not think her teachers, staff or students will notice too much difference from the day-to-day happenings going on in the classroom, but she is a different person from her predecessor, Mark Hall, she said, so there might be some subtle changes.

“Personality-wise, there will be those differences, but I’m really happy with where we’ve taken the ship,” she said.

Rickert’s goal is to be a team player, she said, and that means being the type of person she’s always been, providing the teachers the support they need to get the job done in the classroom.

“We’ve really done a good job of keeping unnecessary interruptions out and letting them have their 50 minutes in the classroom, and I think that has tremendously helped them,” Rickert said.

Rickert’s education, experience, integrity and work ethic will serve her well in the position, Superintendent Joe Buck said.

As an assistant principal, Rickert has experience in communicating with parents regarding attendance- and discipline-related matters. She also has served as the test coordinator, organized and administered ISTEP and end-of-course assessments for 10th-graders, Buck said.

Rickert also assisted Hall in accomplishing many school goals; most recently she helped Pendleton Heights earn Four Star School recognition and helped the school receive the status of a Performance Qualified High School for the up-coming 2018-19 school year.

As always, the goal is to continue the tradition of excellence in delivering education to the students of South Madison Community School Corp., Buck said. He said he’s confident Rickert will continue that tradition.

Rickert has a secondary education degree from Butler University and a master’s in administration and supervision in public education from Middle Tennessee State University.

Rickert has worked closely with Hall, who is now district assistant superintendent; she said it’s nice to know he’s a phone call away, if needed.

It will also be helpful that she knows the teachers and staff, Rickert said, one of the many factors that make her hopeful there will be a seamless transition in leadership.