Administration
Principal's Corner
Mrs. Rasheda Barksdale
Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year at the great D. M. Smith Elementary School! I am honored to have the opportunity to lead a school with such persevering students, an extremely dedicated staff, and a supportive school community. I feel very fortunate to be part of this school and to serve the students and families. I am also elated to have various new staff members who are committed to serving our students and parents and helping D. M. Smith soar to excellence. I am confident that you are a great addition to the staff. Here, at D. M. Smith, we prioritize student learning, relationship cultivation, and self-study. A spirit of excellence must undergird all that we do! Living by the principle of doing unto others the way we would have them do unto us must be the foundation of our work. It would serve to motivate us to give every student our best simply because we would want that for ourselves or our children.
I am entering year 22 in the field of education–coming from a business background. I have served as a business education teacher, math instructor, instructional coach, literacy coach, RT3 Curriculum Coordinator, middle school assistant principal, and now I am tasked with leading the great people of our educational oasis. My view of education is simple: Education has been and will always be the cornerstone of our ever-changing society. A cornerstone, by definition, is a fundamental stone to which the remaining structure is connected. Education is the cornerstone to which the walls of prosperity, success, and continual improvement are connected. Many of our students have visual impairments–they can’t see just how great they are. Teachers and leaders must correct the vision of those individuals that see the youth as hopeless, future menaces to society so that they can perceive them as defeating all odds and pursuing and attaining excellence. Changing the negative view of our youth will incite a desire for learning in our students, a love for instruction in our teachers, and a renewed sense of involvement in our parents and business leaders. Teachers must believe that every child can experience success in the classroom and when they are made aware of their greatness, the possibilities are endless.
I look forward to a focused, committed, and determined year with all of you, because we are better together!
Rasheda Barksdale
Principal