Rasheem Neloms, Sr., has been an award-winning teacher, an assistant principal and instructional leader during his educational career. He brings all those experiences and a collaborative mindset with him as the next principal at Wagener-Salley High School. Neloms currently serves as the Instructional Coordinator for Birmingham City Schools in Birmingham, Alabama.
Aiken County Board of Education members approved Neloms’ appointment as the new principal at Wagener-Salley High School for the 2020-21 school year during the school board’s May 12 regularly scheduled meeting, held virtually due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Chris Earl, the school’s current leader, previously accepted a new position as the principal at Airport High School in Columbia, his alma mater.
“My goal when I entered my career in education was to be a building principal, and with this opportunity at Wagener-Salley High I want to begin applying all the experience I’ve gained during my career,” Neloms, who is a native of Charleston, South Carolina, stated Wednesday. “My wife also has family in the Williston area and Augusta, Georgia, so being in an area where we also had some family ties was very attractive.”
Neloms says he is very much looking forward to working with the Wagener-Salley High School family and learning as much as he can from them as they work collaboratively to make the school the very best educational home it can be.
“I like a collaborative approach in educational leadership,” stated Neloms. “I want to gather the opinions of others and build the capacity of others in the school who wish to be a part of the decision-making process. Some teachers may not wish to pursue a position in administration, but they would like to participate in school leadership and I want to give them that opportunity.”
“Rather than the idea in years past of a principal just being a building manager, a principal should be the instructional leader of the school,” added Neloms. “I would like to bring some of the ideas we have utilized here in Birmingham that have helped raise student achievement, while also looking to folks at Wagener-Salley High School and getting them to bring their ideas to the table so we can move forward.”
Neloms’ academic background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Education with a concentration in Social Studies from The Citadel, and a Masters of Education in Administration and Supervision from Southern Wesleyan University.
Neloms is a 2015-16 graduate of the S.C. Department of Education’s Transformational Leadership Academy, and he is a 2017-18 graduate of the S.C. Department of Education’s Developing Aspiring Principals Program. Currently, he is a doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Assessment at Southern Wesleyan University.
Prior to his current instructional role in Birmingham City Schools, Neloms served as an assistant principal for four years at James Island High School in the Charleston County School District. Prior to that assignment, Neloms served as a teacher and coach at Military Magnet Academy for eight years. He was named the school’s Teacher of the Year during the 2013-14 school year.
Neloms also served as a teacher in Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5, and the Berkeley County School District.
“I am really looking forward to meeting the faculty and staff and getting a feel for the culture at Wagener-Salley High,” added Neloms. “I want to begin talking with students and parents and learning what they like and maybe some things they want the school to address in the future.”
Neloms will begin his duties as Wagener-Salley High School principal in July.