Chapel Hill ISD’s Kissam Intermediate Elementary principal Bethany Moody helps parents and students during the first day of school on Tuesday.

Educator Bethany Moody believes embracing and celebrating diversity will benefit school campuses in a big way.

Moody is the new principal of Chapel Hill ISD Kissam Intermediate School, a place she says wants the very best for its students.

Entering her 21st year in education, Moody is hoping to impact the Chapel Hill community as a whole under her leadership.

Moody spent 16 years at Tyler ISD’s Birdwell Dual Immersion campus. Her education career has revolved around reinforcing the importance of diversity, which she plans to continue tackling at Chapel Hill ISD.

“We’re building a stronger community together by embracing our diversity and our values that each family brings in. Good families make good schools. We want to embrace that to the family as a whole, regardless of the language spoken at home or regardless of the culture,” she said.

According to Moody, building a strong connection among Chapel Hill families is a must, and she plans on building a strong community through it.

“We focus on the families and how we can reach the families and provide the best opportunities for our families … If you invest in your families, then you invest in your own school community, and it pays over time. It’s just so exciting seeing the kids grow academically, socially, emotionally, physically … We get to really capture that moment with them,” she said.

Born and raised in Maryland, Moody began her career in East Texas and has called it home ever since, she said.

“I definitely chose East Texas because I think the feel of the community and the hearts of the families, it’s really like they have a pure heart and no agenda, they really want the very best for their families. So when I looked up at going back to North or staying down in East Texas, I just kind of fell in love with the families of East Texas and I didn’t go back,” she said.

Moody mentioned growing up in an educator household in which her mother was a Montessori teacher and taught in their basement.

“She (mother) had a school attached to the house and I really grew up learning in there. When I got into middle school and high school, I was really involved in athletics and dreamt of college, but I never remember making a decision. Consciously to be a teacher, I was brought into the home of a teacher so it seemed that’s what I would do,” she said.

Reflecting on receiving the news she had been named to the leadership role, Moody recalls feeling very excited and automatically knew Chapel Hill ISD was the perfect fit.

“I look for people with shared values and the instant I met with Mr. (Lamond) Dean, we had the same heart about kids and families and really wanting to serve the community. To me it was no question to take the job,” Moody said.

Through the new chapter in her career, Moody said she is excited to be part of CHISD, a place with passionate individuals who aim to make the campus feel like “home.”

“I’m excited to get on board with what everyone is doing here at Chapel Hill and just make Kissam the best it could be, and that’s not because of me as the principal, it’s because I can see the people here are passionate about education and they want to have the best for their students,” she said.

Moody plans on hosting gatherings with parents throughout the school year in order for the campus to build a connection with staff, she said.

“I represent a school of people who are passionate about learning and we’re passionate about connecting with our families too, so I want them to know as a principal I don’t want them to pass through our campus and not know the teachers or myself as a principal,” Moody said.