Superintendent Dr. Bob Hardis announced via an email sent Friday evening, Feb. 6 that Rebekah Sharpe will be recommended to the Board of Education for approval as the next BHS principal.
“Ms. Sharpe’s extensive knowledge, thoughtful approach to leadership, work ethic and care for her students and families were apparent throughout the hiring process,” Hardis wrote.
The Board is scheduled to vote on her appointment at their meeting this evening. Once approved, Sharpe will assume the role for the upcoming school year, replacing current BHS Principal Paul Chase, who has worked in Beachwood City Schools since 2006 as high school asst. principal, middle school principal and since 2019, high school principal. He is now moving to the position of director of curriculum and instruction.
Sharpe’s selection followed the “Meet the Candidates” event held on Feb 3., where three finalists for the position rotated to speak with students, parents and staff.
Students were given around 25 minutes to ask questions of the candidates and provide feedback. The candidates answered questions from parents and teachers that had been previously submitted and were vetted by administrators.
After reviewing community feedback, the district selected Rebekah Sharpe to recommend for Board approval.
Sharpe currently serves as principal of Roxboro Middle School in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District. Her career includes experience as a high school and middle school music teacher, dean and assistant principal. She holds degrees in music and educational leadership.
During the Q&A session with students, Sharpe emphasized the importance of building a strong school culture centered on relationships and student involvement.
She described herself as someone who knows how to have fun.
“I do not take myself too seriously,” she said. “Hard work can be supported with having fun and developing relationships.”
Sharpe emphasized her interest in Beachwood specifically because it celebrates diversity.
She is also interested in leading once again at the high school level.
“[I am] excited at the prospect of coming back to a high school…and making sure [students] are prepared for whatever [they] want to do in the world,” she said.
Throughout the discussion, she stressed student voice and communication as her main priorities, noting that she regularly meets with groups of students to gather feedback. She also explained how she has open conversations with students when concerns arise.
“Part of having open dialogue with students is giving space for students to be able to share their feelings because sometimes what is stressful about being a student is a relationship or a dynamic with an adult or a teacher,” she said.
Sharpe expressed cautious support for AI as a learning tool.
“AI definitely has a place in education…it’s about teaching how to use AI responsibly,” she said.
She also emphasized the importance of prioritizing mental health and student well-being.
“I am a very big proponent of health…physical, mental and emotional,” she said.
Sharpe highlighted the importance of ensuring students know what resources are available to them.
Dr. Robert Winton, another finalist, currently serves as an assistant principal at North Ridgeville High School and previously led Rocky River High School as principal from 2015 to 2025. His academic background includes advanced degrees in education, with research focused on school safety.
Winton expressed his interest in Beachwood because of its strong academic reputation.
“[Beachwood] has a lot of offerings that I thought were interesting…like high expectations on students [that] lead to high achievement and success after high school,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of communication, noting that he has always maintained an open-door policy.
“If there’s a concern, I want to hear it directly from you,” he said.
School safety was a central theme in his responses. Winton explained that prevention depends heavily on school culture.
“The simplest way to avert things is that somebody reports something at a time…students need to feel comfortable reporting,” he said.
Kathryn Haneline, also a finalist, currently serves as a high school principal at the John Marshall High School of IT and previously led a K-8 school. Her professional background includes special education as well as expertise in curriculum development, data-driven decision making and technology integration.
Haneline emphasized individualized support, explaining that in her current role she meets with each student personally to discuss goals and progress.
“I meet with every single kid one-on-one…to find out what you want to do and where you want to be,” she said.
Haneline highlighted her experience integrating technology into education through the Apple Distinguished Educator program.
The student Q&A session, held in the TEACH classroom allowed candidates to respond directly to student concerns and questions about communication, academics, extracurricular activities and school climate.
In his announcement of her selection, Hardis noted the importance of student and community input.
“The feedback [families, students, and staff] provided was an important consideration in making [the] decision,” he said.
Nine students attended the “Meet the Candidates Night.” Junior Eva Zheng reflected on the processes of student feedback that the district implemented.
“I’m glad that they allowed for student input in the process,” she said. “There was also ample time to ask questions.”
Senior Tony Zheng also appreciated that students were included.
“I think it was a good format,” he said. “They gave a little bit of time for the candidates to introduce themselves and we were given the chance to ask questions.”
Zheng feels that it is too early to tell what kind of principal Sharpe will be, but he would have liked to see Asst. Principal Aubrei Watson get promoted to the position.
“I will say that I think Ms. Erkins [Watson] really deserved that spot, though I hope that Beachwood will welcome our new principal with open arms,” he said.
