Samo Welcomes new principal Dr. Antonio Shelton

Dr. Antonio Shelton wholeheartedly believes that the day you stop learning is the day you die, and he’s bringing that philosophy to Samo. After the resignation of Eva Mayoral after the conclusion of last school year, the SMMUSD board appointed Antonio Shelton as Samo’s new principal. Those who attended Indian Hill High School in Cincinnati, where he was was principal for 10 years, have referred Shelton as funny, kind and an all-around great person. He is thrilled to start his job and can not wait to tackle some of Samo’s ongoing projects.“This is a new challenge,” Shelton said. “Where I came from, it wasn’t as diverse, it was not as big, and just thinking about what the school has to offer challenges and excites me.”Shelton went to Hampton University in Virginia, twenty minutes away from where he grew up in Louisa County and earned a bachelor’s degree in history. He then went on to graduate school at Ohio State University to get his teaching license, and later returned to get a masters so he could become a principal at the University of Cincinnati.“For whatever reason, someone told me to go back to school, so I went to the University of Kentucky to get a doctorate in educational leadership,” Shelton said. “It’s been fun.”He first became interested in living on the west coast after seeing a Pepperdine poster at the college center of an old school he worked at a few years ago. He applied for a job and got accepted, but decided the timing wasn’t right. When a similar position opened up in Malibu, he applied yet again, got it, and decided it was best not to go. Finally, when the principal's position opened up at Samo, he decided that it was the right time to act on it.“I interviewed for the position and got it,” Shelton said. “You live once. Why not try something and see if it works? Worst case scenario, it doesn’t. How horrible is that?”When he’s not busy with school, Shelton enjoys watching Ohio State’s football team and playing golf. He’s also incredibly passionate about traveling and has journeyed to numerous countries including Finland, Taiwan and Spain (including Ibiza). He has also visited all the provinces in China and has even spontaneously gone to Jamaica.“When I first graduated from college, I would spin the globe and put my finger on the globe to stop it, and wherever it stopped, I would go,” Shelton said “Understanding not just the United States but the world around it gives you a better understanding of how other countries differ from the U.S.”Barack Obama is a huge inspiration to Shelton. He went to his inauguration back in 2009. One of Shelton’s favorite books of all time is Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama, a memoir that captures the events of his early life leading up to his time in law school. An old student of his once gave him a copy of the book signed by the president himself with a note.“She brought me a picture of Barack Obama in her grandmother’s house and I asked, ‘Is that the president standing with your grandma in the kitchen?’” Shelton said. “She nodded and proceeded to give me his books, one being Dreams from My Father. I was all chill about it saying ‘I already read those books.’ She told me to open the books. I opened them to see that the president wrote my name and signed it...I was overjoyed.”Shelton’s expectations for the year are focused around the community. He’s looking forward to building strong relationships and improving district communication.“I want to build relationships.” Shelton said. “You can’t do anything until you understand who the people are that you’re working with. I want to see what’s going on [around campus]. I want to be apart of it. I want to make sure that people know that I am available, that I am here to listen. I need to make sure that we provide [the students] with the best education possible.”