Noblesville Schools Executive Director of Learning Annetta Petty announced Tuesday that she will retire during the 2020-21 school year after more than 35 years of service to the district. Noblesville East Middle School (NEMS) principal Ryan Rich has been named her successor and will begin the transition to his new role as director of secondary learning in July 2020. He will finish the school year with NEMS.
Rich will lead middle school and high school curriculum and instruction for the district, in collaboration with the district’s director of elementary learning, Dr. Jennifer Wheat Townsend.
Petty, who began her career with Noblesville Schools as an English teacher at Noblesville High School (NHS) in 1983, later served as NHS principal prior to joining the district leadership team in the top academic role.
“Annetta’s intelligence, sharp analysis and calm leadership have left a lasting impact on decades of students and educators,” Superintendent Dr. Beth Niedermeyer said. “Based on her quiet, behind-the-scenes style, many may not realize how influential she has been in growing the academic excellence of Noblesville Schools.”
Rich, who holds bachelor’s, master’s and educational specialist degrees from Ball State University, served as a social studies teacher, middle school assistant principal and high school assistant principal prior to his role leading NEMS. He has been with Noblesville Schools for over 20 years, leading the development of innovative middle school programming, redesigning the district’s teacher evaluation process and serving as an advisor on district curriculum efforts.
“Ryan has been a transformational leader in middle school education and we’re excited to welcome him to our district leadership team,” Niedermeyer added. “He has substantial expertise in curriculum development and I’m confident he will continue to move our middle and high school teachers and students to the next level of academic achievement.”
The district will post the NEMS principal position immediately to begin the process of identifying a replacement for Rich. The new principal will be announced at a later date.