Shepherd appointed as Payson High principal

With the recent administrative move of Payson High School Principal Ben Ford to become the PEAK Center administrator, the Nebo School District Board of Education has appointed RaShel Anderson Shepherd as the new principal of Payson High School.

Dr. Shepherd graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics education. She obtained her master of arts degree from the University of Phoenix in educational counseling and her doctorate degree in educational leadership from BYU.

Dr. Shepherd has served as principal at Mapleton Junior High School for the past five years. She also worked as assistant principal at Maple Mountain High School for over three years and principal at Spanish Oaks Elementary School for eight years. She started her teaching career in mathematics at Spanish Fork Junior High School, teaching for one year there and then teaching at Spanish Fork High School for four years. Dr. Shepherd then became a counselor for Brockbank, Barnett and Park View elementary schools as well as Springville High School. She has worked in education for 26 years.

Dr. Shepherd was honored as Instructional Leader of the Year in 2007 by the Utah Association of Elementary School Principals. In 1999, Springville’s PTA named her Counselor of the Year. Students at Spanish Fork High selected Dr. Anderson as Teacher of the Year in 1994.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank the school board and am excited for this opportunity to go to an awesome school with strong traditions and academic spirit,” Dr. Shepherd said. “I hope to learn from Mr. Ford on this educational journey. I have loved Mapleton Junior and learned amazing things. I’m grateful to do something so meaningful and rewarding to change the world.”

Dr. Shepherd said she believes, “Kindness is one of the most powerful characteristics one can possess: it has the power to change the world,” and, “Students may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”