New principal at Ekalaka Public Schools

A phone call out of the blue led Stephen Ely and his wife, Melissa, to Ekalaka for a visit earlier this summer.

"We fell in love," the new principal at Ekalaka Public Schools told the Eagle.

Mr. and Mrs. Ely arrived in Ekalaka right before the 2020-21 school year started. They made the move across the country all the way from Florida.

This is Ely's thirty-first year in education. He has been a football coach, business teacher, and has spent the last 16 years of his career in administration, working as a principal in elementary, middle school, high school and at the district level.

Ely was one of the football coaches at Tennessee Wesleyan University and had a business degree when he decided to take education classes. After getting certified, he spent time teaching in Kentucky before making a move for his career to Florida. In 1998 he went back to Kentucky to be closer to family, eventually heading back to Florida.

Ely was lucky enough to play in two state football championship games while in high school. His love for the game led him to a coaching career that spanned 28 years, ending after the 2008 season. He coached on a state championship team.

Ely has worked for very large districts as well as small schools throughout his career. He believes that having experience in varying settings has given him experience that will help in Ekalaka. He had spent every day since March 13 of this year working on a plan for students and teachers to get back to the classroom in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic at a large district in Florida before accepting the principal position in Ekalaka. "Distance learning doesn't work for most kids," he said.

Though his new job does require a fair amount of time sitting at a desk, he said he likes to be out from behind the desk, engaging with the students and staff not only during school, but also at extracurricular events and events happening throughout the community and surrounding areas. "That phone call happened for a reason," he said. "I want to bring something that helps this school system."

So far, some of Ely's main focuses since his arrival have been to improve communication between the school and community, engage with the students and "knock out days."

"I'm proud to get three weeks of school in so far," he said in regard to starting school during the pandemic. "We've got to be smart. Do common sense things."

Ely said that being able to keep the school open and hold events and games that parents and fans can attend is important to not only the students, but also to the community. When things return to a more normal state, he said that some of those common sense things implemented due to COVID-19 don't need to stop.

Besides his career, Ely loves to hunt and fish. He is also looking forward to working on his personal relationships and spending more time with Melissa. The couple likes to explore together, see new places, historic sites and landmarks, and learn about them. They hope to visit National and State Parks in the region and see all of the historic sites they can. When visiting the area a month ago before accepting the position, Ely and his wife visited Mount Rushmore. They recently went to Devils Tower and are excited to be able to take part in Carter County Museum's Dino Shindig. Ely is also eager to attend some area rodeos, and said that some of the kids at school have volunteered to help him find the right cowboy hat. "It's a big decision," he joked. "You got to pick the right one."

Mostly though, he is excited for his new position at Ekalaka Public Schools.

"This is America. I want to retire here," he said. "I'll be here for the kids, in and out of school.

Ely is one of nine new faculty members at Ekalaka Public Schools. His wife, Mrs. Melissa Ely, is a Title 1 teacher and the school's librarian.