Board Member Spotlight: Rayvell Smith
Meet Rayvell Smith
5-Dec-2022
Each month we'll be featuring school board members in an effort to learn more about the wonderful individuals serving on our boards!
Rayvell Smith serves on the Marengo County school board and has reached Master level in the AASB School Board Member Academy. When Rayvell decided to retire as an educator, he knew he still wanted to be involved in creating a better future for kids in his community. In 2017, he joined the Marengo County school board to do just that!
Read below to learn more about Rayvell!
What is your current occupation?
I am retired. I was an educator for 31 years and for 10 of those years I was a principal. After leaving education, I also worked in production at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance, AL.
What inspired you to join the school board?
After being an educator for so many years, I decided I wanted to use my experience to further help the boys and girls of Marengo County. I really wanted to get the necessary resources into classrooms and help students to be better prepared for their future.
What is your favorite part about being a school board member?
My favorite part would be making decisions after going to workshops and learning from other people across the state about what works for them. I like being able to bring those ideas back to our board and build off them to implement new things in our school system!
Is there anything you are particularly proud of accomplishing as a board member (i.e., new initiatives or special projects…)?
One thing I am proud of is getting teachers really involved with the board. This is something we picked up on from attending a workshop. It is very important to get teacher input. Teachers are letting us know the things they need, and we are able to work on getting those needs met!
What are some of your hobbies?
I love hunting and fishing, especially rabbit hunting. I live in a rural area, so there are places to hunt right around my home!
Is there a fun or interesting fact you would like to share about yourself?
I love going to church and teaching my adult Sunday school class!
Do you have a favorite inspirational quote you can share with us?
"Each morning when you get up you better be running because if you don’t move fast enough something will eat you, and if you don’t move fast enough you won’t get something to eat. Either way you must be moving."
Old African Proverb
Is there anything else you would like to share?
I want to give a shout out to AASB for the workshops presented and conferences. I have truly learned a lot from attending these events! When I first joined the board, my perspective was totally different, but over the past 7 years it has changed for the better. I’ve learned so much about what it means to be a school board member.