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Sometimes, an unexpected turn can lead to a career you never imagined. For Rachel Denney, that journey led to Rivermont Roanoke Southeast, where she now serves as principal. Her path to education has shaped how she supports students, works alongside staff, and leads the school forward. 

Can you talk about your career trajectory and what led you to where you are now? 

My career trajectory is really unique and I think it gives me a unique set of skills. I actually finished my undergrad in neuroscience and avoided education. My mom was a teacher, and then an administrator, and the stubborn part of me never listened when she said I would be a great teacher. After finding out that working in a lab was not my calling, I went back to school and fell in love with education. I spent most of my years in public school teaching 6th grade English and I loved it. After several years, it felt increasingly hard to be a general education teacher when more and more of my students needed educational and behavioral support. I went back to school again and completed my program to teach special education. During that program, I found Rivermont and knew it was the missing piece for me. I found my passion again as an educator in the classroom, and I quickly found ways to step up and lead at the classroom level. When I had a chance to step into administration, I was excited to see where I could help our building improve and grow.  

What do you love most about working in special education? 

I love the ability to see growth on so many levels. It’s a chance to see a student have a win on a life skill as well as on an academic skill. I grew up with a sister who has cerebral palsy and she taught me so much about those wins. Just thinking of seeing my students grow through the year makes me happy, and celebrating a student’s return to public school is the best. It’s a goodbye but also a celebration of that student's success. 

What makes our Roanoke Southeast school special? 

We are a unique crew! The staff make it special because we have such a mix of different people, but they come together to make some amazing classroom teams. Our leadership team is also a mix of so many different backgrounds and experiences, and I think that makes us a great group to lead the school.  

How would you describe your leadership style? 

I have always been an extrovert. I jokingly tell our staff that I am just a golden retriever with building keys. More often than not, I am in a classroom, with a student, or helping in the hallways because I want to be with my students and staff. I want to be where the people are, I want to listen to you when you are having a tough day, and I want to take a moment and be silly. It was the way I taught too, and it helped me bond with all the students. It was a way to connect and build from that, and I think that is my strength in my leadership style.  

What is your vision for partnering with districts and families? 

I hope to build off the framework we built last year. We started to do more community events, and we want to do that more often. We have a fantastic career coach and PBSL who help us build community connections and create more opportunities for our students. We also started our newsletter last year and want to continue that again this year to share more of the fun day-to-day moments with our districts and families.  

What does success look like over the next year? 

Success for the coming year would like continued growth and lots of listening. I want to help our building reach its fullest potential over the coming years, and that means in our first year we need to listen and build our staff up. Honestly, part of the success will just be survival, but I feel confident we will do more than ‘just’ survive this year. 

What is a fun fact about you? 

I have always been a person who burns their candle at both ends, so I have a handful of random hobbies and sports. In middle school, I took fencing classes, and I went to college on a theatre scholarship. After having my first child I started competitively powerlifting for a few years. Since moving to Roanoke, I have joined a roller derby team!