South Ripley's Destiny Rutzel Named Indiana Middle School Principal Of The Year

It's quite an honor for the fifth-year principal at South Ripley Junior High School.

Destiny Rutzel. Photo provided.

(Versailles, Ind.) - On Sunday, November 18, 2018, the Indiana Association of School Principals recognized Destiny Rutzel, Principal at South Ripley Junior High School in Versailles, IN, as the 2018 Indiana Middle School Principal of the Year. 

Earlier this year, Rutzel had been named District 10 Principal of the Year.  District Principals of the Year are elected by their peers in each of the 12 IASP districts.  From these 12 District Middle School Principal winners, Rutzel was chosen as the 2018 Indiana Middle School Principal of the Year.  

The recognition ceremony was a part of the 2018 Principals of the Year Recognition Celebration at the IASP Annual Fall Conference.  The award was presented at a dinner at the Indianapolis Marriott Hotel with the IASP State President, Andrea Korreck, presiding along with Todd Bess, Executive Director.

Mrs. Rutzel is in her fifth year as the Principal at South Ripley Junior High School.  Under her leadership SRJHS has received many noteworthy recognitions including being named an Indiana Four Star School, a 2018 Common Sense Media School, a 2016 National School to Watch, and a 2016 National Blue Ribbon School.  Additionally, SRJHS received a Promising Practice award from the Indiana Department of Education in 2016 for their Advisory Program.  The school was also recently named a “Champions in the Middle” school by the Indiana High School Athletic Association for their work with Special Olympic athletes. 

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“This is a tremendous honor for Destiny, for the students and staff of South Ripley Junior High School, and for the entire South Ripley Community School Corporation” commented South Ripley Superintendent Rob Moorhead.  “Destiny’s hard work and dedication have led to this state level recognition and she is very deserving of this award. ”

Rutzel is the second South Ripley Junior High Principal to win the Indiana Middle School Principal of the Year award, following Rod Hite who won the honor in 2014. 

“To have two of our junior high principals win this award in a four year period speaks volumes about the job that our junior high staff is doing on a daily basis,” said Moorhead. 

Destiny and her husband, Dave, live in Moores Hill with their two children, Chloe and Easton. 

The Indiana Association of School Principals is a not-for-profit, professional association serving over 2800 building level administrators in the state of Indiana.   

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