Nicole Terrell was once in line to be a principal in the Shelbyville Central Schools system. A conscientious decision to put her goal on hold detoured that track.

On Wednesday morning, Terrell, now back on track, will greet the students at Shelbyville’s Coulston Elementary School as its new principal.

“I think (being principal) was always something I wanted to do,” said Terrell Monday afternoon from her new office at Coulston Elementary.
I was (an assistant principal) for six years then went back into the classroom. This was always a goal and I think, in life, sometimes those goals change.

“My goal was to be a mom and be there when my girls got into high school. They were very active so my role had to change. The mom role became No. 1 and all this went on the backside. Now, I am making a shift because I have a new goal and this is it.”

With her two daughters now firmly entrenched in classes at Indiana University, Terrell feels she is ready for her first principal’s job.

The 1990 Shelbyville High School graduate completed her education at Indiana State University and was hired in her hometown to teach physical education during the morning hours at Pearson Elementary and move over to Hendricks Elementary in the afternoon to teach third grade math, science and social studies. She initially shared a Hendricks classroom with Mary Harper, who just retired as the Shelbyville Central Schools superintendent.

More than a decade into her teaching career, Terrell was hired as Coulston’s assistant principal, where she worked for Jim Conner.

After four years at Coulston, Terrell became assistant principal at Hendricks which put her squarely in position for an available principal’s job.

With two daughters headed for Shelbyville High School, though, Terrell opted to return to the Hendricks classroom for what became a five-year stint. And a sixth year was in the planning stages when the principal’s position at Coulston became available.

“I didn’t give it a thought,” said Terrell. “My daughters asked me if I was going to apply for the position. I really hadn’t given it a whole lot of thought.”

With a new superintendent taking over, Terrell believed the time was right to see where her administrative opportunities were within the school system.

“Dr. (Matt) Vance was new. I wanted him to know there was more to me than just being a second grade teacher,” she said. “There was a lot I can offer that maybe he wasn’t aware of. What more can I lose?”

Terrell wanted Dr. Vance and the school board to know that she was interested in returning to the administrative side of education. And she knew it would be a unique interview opportunity at Coulston.

“A cool thing is they had some teachers on the interview committee which I thought was phenomenal,” she said. “With the amount of change that has happened here at Coulston, I thought it was really good to include them in the process.

“I remember walking in and they were floored that they got to interview me. I didn’t know which way it would go. I tried to be my authentic self. I don’t try to tweak or change it for anyone. People see through it; kids see through it. What you get is what you see. I felt very comfortable interviewing with them.”

With two decades of teaching experience and six years accumulated as an assistant principal, Terrell was the obvious choice to be Coulston’s next leader.

“Honestly, when I walked back in the first day after being hired, I told my husband (Sam) when I walked in it felt like I was home,” she said. “I felt like I had been on summer vacation. I knew the feeling when I walked in that door that I am where I am supposed to be. I have not looked back one time, even when I was packing up my classroom at Hendricks.”

With Terrell and new assistant principal Andrew Snow on board, Coulston has a solid foundation with strong local ties to the community in control.

“Being back in the trenches for five years, I know what it is like being a teacher,” said Terrell. “I know that day-to-day grind. Coming on now, I know those needs. I know the struggles that happen in the classroom. It’s real. I was there for five years. It makes me more cognizant of that coming in.”

Terrell believes her leadership style will represent those that have championed for her in the past like Conner and Pat Lumbley (former Hendricks principal).

“I learned so much from Jim Conner as an administrator. He allowed me to grow,” said Terrell. “He was always there for questions. Sometimes he let me make mistakes. He said if you don’t make them you will not know how to correct them. I appreciated that even when I was in the trenches.

“Having those different leadership styles of the different administrators I have worked for and even throughout my tenure, even as a student, I love that I can bring them all together and mold them into what I want to be because I don’t think there is one perfect style of administration. You have to pull from all different areas. That becomes what you make it and who you are going to be and how you are going to lead.”

Now 29 years into her educational career, Terrell admits Wednesday morning will be a little bit different now that she is the principal on the first day of school.

“I know I will be nervous on Wednesday,” she said. “I am probably more nervous about Wednesday afternoon because it’s that first day getting them home. If I can get all the kids where they need to be safely, then I can breathe.”

And she can focus on the job at hand.

“I am looking forward to seeing all those smiles,” she said. “I am looking forward to seeing our teachers’ faces seeing the kids coming back.”