Recently retired Rexburg principal has a knack for names and music

REXBURG — There’s a common theme when people talk about Scott Shirley, who recently retired as principal of Lincoln Elementary School in Rexburg after 35 years with Madison School District.

“Mr. Shirley knew every student by name, took the time to greet them every morning with a knuckles or a high five, and was genuinely concerned about each of them,” says Amber Wolford, a teacher at Lincoln.

The parents noticed too.

“Mr. Shirley always knew my children’s names and remembered they belonged to me,” says Jessica Hansen. “He knew who they were. Not because they were in trouble and sent to the principal’s office. He knew them because they were his students that he took care of and loved. That is just who he is.”

Shirley’s ability to remember his students by name extended beyond the years they were his students.

“You can tell that Mr. Shirley loves his job and the students,” says Elaine Lake. “He knew all of my kids’ names and still asks me how they’re doing, years after they have left Lincoln.”

Mr. Shirley’s knack for names was intentional. It’s one way he showed the kids at Lincoln that they were important to him.

“Probably my trademark thing that’s helped me is that I’ve tried to learn the names of all the kids,” Shirley says. “If they know my name, I should know theirs. The kids enjoyed the fact that I knew their names, and not just because they’d been in trouble.”

Shirley grew up just a few miles away in Sugar City. As a kid, he loved sports but didn’t consider himself one of the standouts.

“I was good enough to make the team but not good enough to really play,” he says. “About our sophomore year, we organized a rock ‘n’ roll band. We went around and we actually made some money back in the ’60s.”

His love and talent for music have been an asset to his long career with Madison School District.

“Music has been a huge part of my life,” he says. “I play several instruments. That’s come in handy to entertain the kids with.”

Shirley began his career with the district about 35 years ago when he was hired as an aide at Archer Elementary.

Upon graduation from college, he already had a teaching job lined up at Lyman Elementary.

“The district actually offered me a contract before I graduated, so I thought that was kind of cool,” he says.

Over the next few years, Shirley was promoted to head teacher, then teaching administrator at Archer Elementary, and then spent some time as the principal of both Archer and Lyman elementary schools. He was asked to add Burton to the list when the school was new, and he agreed to try it for a week.

“For one week, I tried to work with three staff, three PTOs and try to have faculty meetings,” he says. “I was on the road all the time between those three schools.”

He decided that “three schools was too many.”

Next, he spent seven years as the principal at Kennedy Elementary, then a couple years at Hibbard, followed by three years as the assistant principal at Madison Middle School. Finally, Shirley wrapped up his administrative career with nine years at Lincoln Elementary.

“I’ve been at just about every school,” he says. “The parents have been amazing everywhere I’ve been. Amazing kids come from amazing parents. … It’s about the kids and the parents. The parents are our customers, and we enjoy trying to keep them happy as much as we can. It’s their school.”

Shirley says that helping kids to be excited to be there was critical.

“When the kids get up in the morning, they’re excited about going to school,” he says. “If we can do that, then everything else seems to fall into place.”

Shirley says it’s easy to get caught up in the procedural side of things, but doing his best to know each student was more important.

“Knowing something about the kids is, it’s money in the bank,” he says. “Kids should be excited about coming to school each day. If they’re not, we’re sleeping at the switch.”

Shirley placed a lot of importance on hiring great teachers and staff.

“It’s always been my motto to hire people who are smarter and more talented than I am, and that has not been a problem,” he says. “After I hire people that are smarter and more talented than I am, I provide them with the training materials and the time that they need to do their job. I’m not one that micromanages. I didn’t like being micromanaged at any job I’ve ever had, so I give a lot of latitude to the teachers, and it’s paid off.”

Shirley retired from his position as principal at the end of the 2021-2022 school year, but he isn’t done. He will still be working for the district, making instructional videos and being available to fill in for school administrators as needed.

Taking his place as the new principal of Lincoln is Dr. Josh Beattie, who was most recently the assistant principal at Burton Elementary. Shirley says the school and the students would be in good hands with Beattie.

“When you’re a principal, it’s not about you, it’s about the kids,” Shirley says. “So what we do is we carry the baton like a relay race, and when it’s time to pass the baton, you pass the baton on to the next person, and they get to start out with fresh energy.”

Beattie spent 17 years as a school psychologist before making the switch to administration. He says he is happy with the change, as it allows him to get to know students on a more personal level.

“I’m super excited,” he says. “As a school psychologist, I was at lots of schools, and I didn’t get to know the kids as well or the faculty. Now I get to know the kids and their names, and they get to know me, so I love it.”