VERSAILLES – The Versailles High School held a special school board meeting Wednesday, July 3 at 7 a.m. to approve Jacki Stonebraker as the school’s new high school principal.
“I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to do this in my career with the support of the community,” said Stonebraker. “I feel like the support of the administration, the support of the teachers, the support of the community itself, there is no other place I would rather be.”
Stonebraker, a graduate of Bowling Green State University played basketball for the Lady Falcons after a stellar career at Versailles before returning to her alma mater to teach while coaching the girls varsity basketball team.
“I have mixed emotions,” Stonebraker said. “It’s been 20 great years in the classroom and on the basketball court with the girls and my students. I still enjoy the classroom, I still enjoy coaching and I don’t think that will ever go away.
“There were a couple of signs I just felt like that were coming at me and you never know if you’re going to get the chance again being half way though my teaching career,” added Stonebraker. “I feel like it was maybe now or never and I don’t want to look back and have any regrets.”
Coach Stonebraker completed her master’s degree immediately following graduating from Bowling Green State University.
“I got my masters right out of college and worked towards my principalship right away,” stated Stonebraker. “There is a lot that has changed over the last 20 years since I’ve taken those classes so there is a lot to learn. There are a lot of seminars to go to, even some more classes that I feel like I need to take. With all that time and energy that has to be put into this job I just felt like coaching was not going happen anymore.”
The new position will still allow Stonebraker to be involved with her school-aged children’s activities.
“It is still a job that I can see my kids, all their sporting events and do all those things that I do with them,” Stonebraker noted. “It still gives me that flexibility but yet still further myself in my career.”
