The Sun Prairie Area School District announced on Monday that Ronald (Terrell) Yarbrough will be the inaugural principal of Sun Prairie West High School when it opens for the 2022-23 school year.
Yarbrough has been principal of Harlem High School in Machesney Park, Illinois since 2013 and has held leadership positions in Machesney Park, Beloit, and Milwaukee including principal, assistant principal, and dean of students throughout his career. He has served as a school administrator at all levels, including elementary, middle, and high school.
Yarbrough earned a bachelor’s degree in history from UW-Milwaukee, a teaching certificate, and a master’s degree in instructional leadership from Marquette University, and will be defending his dissertation next month as a doctoral candidate at Aurora University.
“Of course, it goes without saying that we are truly excited to welcome soon-to-be Dr. Yarbrough to the Sun Prairie Area School District and community,” Marilyn Ruffin, Sun Prairie school board member, told Madison365. “It was the charge of the District to reach out far and wide to garner a diverse applicant pool. We, as board members, were kept abreast throughout the process.
“Now, the real work begins to embrace and build upon a space to keep he and his family supported, un-apologetically,” she added.
Yarbrough’s experience and focus on relationships and equitable outcomes for all students will allow him to be an effective leader within the school community, the Sun Prairie School District said, and lead the staff of Sun Prairie West in creating a welcoming and engaging learning environment.
Yarbrough will officially begin his work as principal on July 1st, 2021, and will be working throughout the 2021-2022 school year to build relationships with staff, students, and the Sun Prairie community in anticipation of Sun Prairie West opening in the fall of 2022.
Yarbrough’s hiring is pending Sun Prairie school board approval on Monday night.
