The Jefferson City School District has announced Beth Houf, current Fulton Middle School principal and 2022 National Principal of the Year, will lead Capital City High School as its new principal next year.
Houf succeeds Ben Meldrum, who will serve as superintendent of the Blair Oaks School District after more than two decades in the Jefferson City School District.
“Beth Houf has a proven track record of outstanding leadership and is a champion principal. We could not be more excited for her to take over the helm at Capital City High School,” said JC Schools Superintendent Bryan McGraw in a news release. “I am confident that she will not only continue to build upon the culture and student success established at CCHS, but also lead it to new heights.”
Houf began as a fifth-grade teacher at Belair Elementary and University of Missouri fellow in 2000. She then served as a fourth-grade eMINTS teacher for Southwest Elementary School in Jefferson City and Bartley Elementary School in Fulton in 2002. eMINTS is an interactive, research-based professional development program.
In 2006, Houf began as a participant in the Select Teacher as Regional Resource program through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, where she trained in research-based teaching strategies. She also developed and administered professional development throughout the state. Houf served as principal of McIntire Elementary in Fulton for seven years before moving into the role of principal at Fulton Middle School in 2015.
As a principal, Houf was committed to providing leadership opportunities for staff, maintaining staff morale, enhancing parent involvement and creating new programs for students, according to a JC Schools release.
The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) named Houf the national principal of the year last year, citing her creation of a collaborative environment, support of professional development in staff, and promotion of academics and social-emotional learning. She was also named digital principal of the year in 2019 for her use of technology in her school. She has been named principal of the year by the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals in 2021, Principal of the Year by Education Dive in 2019, and Missouri Distinguished Principal of the Year by the National Association of Elementary School Principals in 2016. Her schools, Fulton Middle School and McIntire Elementary, were named exemplary professional learning communities in 2019 and 2015, respectively.
“I am thrilled to join the JC Schools team and lead CCHS as its head principal,” Houf said in the release. “My mantra is: culture comes first, next, always. As a building leader, I have always been passionate about fostering a sense of community at my schools, and I am very much looking forward to joining the team at Capital City High School.”
Houf has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, and an education specialist degree from the University of Missouri. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in education at MU. She and her husband, Todd, have two sons: a freshman at MU and a sixth-grader.