Jenkins Independent Schools

          Jenkins Middle High School is happy to announce Wendy Madden-Rutherford as our new principal! Mrs. Rutherford received her Bachelor's and first Master's degree in Elementary Education from Morehead State. Her second Master's degree is in Education Administration and Supervision from Union College. She also has a Director of Pupil Personnel certification from Asbury University. Mrs. Rutherford has had a rich, blessed career working in Letcher County. She began her career in 1994 at West Whitesburg Elementary as an Instructional Assistant before moving to Hemphill Elementary to teach K/1st grades. After that school closed, she taught 2nd and 3rd grade for many years at Fleming-Neon Elementary. From there, she worked in the district office as a Title I Resource Teacher, working with teachers in every school. In 2004, she began working at Martha Jane Potter Elementary as a School Reading Coach and then in 2009 she became the Principal at Letcher Elementary. In 2018, she became the DPP and Personnel Director of LCPS. She has had an amazing career teaching, learning, and leading with some pretty awesome people. Mrs. Rutherford says she still has things to learn, and looks forward to having the same experience with JIS.
          Mrs. Rutherford and her husband, Gary, have been married for 9 years. They have 4 children: Ashlee is 25, Ben (and his wife Makenzie) are 21, Dale is 19, and Lindsay is 18. They are so proud of their children and look forward to eventually becoming grandparents! In their free time, they love spending time with their parents, kids, and extended family. They enjoy riding their Harley, hanging with friends at Cherokee Lake, and working together on projects.
          Mrs. Rutherford says that Jenkins is appealing to her for several reasons. She states that is apparent that positive changes have been made recently and she wants to be a part of the successful school that we are building. Her experience has allowed her to continue to grow professionally, and she has so much to share and contribute. The people who work in JIS are some of the best, most talented people that she knows, and she wanted an opportunity to serve the JMHS students and community as they rise to one of the best schools and districts in the state!
          Mrs. Rutherford recognizes that the school is the heart of any community. The biggest goal she has for this year is to get to know the staff, students, their families, and the entire Jenkins community. Her priority will be to understand what our students need to become successful adults and then to partner with the community to build a network of support and resources to make that happen. She believes everyone has a voice and that voice has value and promises to always listen, do what is best for students, and both lead and serve from her heart.