
Dear Parents,
I continue to be honored and excited to be a member of the South Columbus Preparatory Academy at German Village. As your Principal, I look forward each day to strengthening the relationships that I have begun building with all of our wonderful students, families, teachers, and talented staff. I am thrilled to bring my skills as an educational leader to work with you as a partner in education to ensure your child’s success.
At South Columbus Prep, we believe that behavior expectations establish lifelong values within students—the kind of values that create ignited and empowered leaders. Our values align with our four key pillars:
- IGNITE student interest through exposure, problem solving & fun
- INSPIRE students to meet their full potential
- EMPOWER our kids to be agents of change
- Cultivate young people to LEAD
We model, praise, and coach students daily on these values which creates a strong school culture. When you tour our campus, you will see these values explicitly named in each common space of our building. We create a safe and respectful environment to enable students to build meaningful relationships with adults and peers, self-regulate their emotions and behaviors, and ultimately achieve academic success.
Thank you for choosing South Columbus Preparatory Academy at German Village!
Sincerely,
Kimberly Woody-Smith
Principal

Kimberly Woody-Smith, M. Ed. - Principal
Mrs. Kimberly-Woody-Smith joined ACCEL Schools in 2021. She has over 18+ years’ experience as a K-12 educator in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, California, and Arkansas and over 5 years’ experience as an Administrator. Mrs. Woody-Smith helped to open a middle/high school in Little Rock, Arkansas which is listed as the #1 Best High School in Little Rock Metro Area High Schools (U.S. News and World Report Rankings). Mrs. Woody-Smith holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Dayton as well as a Master’s degree in Middle Childhood Education from Antioch McGregor. Additionally, she is currently pursuing her Master of Education in Educational Administration degree (Principal Licensure) with Grand Canyon University. She enjoys spending time with her husband Herman and her two children Darnell and Hermia.

Jarod Hawk - Superintendent
Mr. Jarod Hawk joined ACCEL Schools in 2019 with over 11 years of experience as a K-8 educator and school leader in Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas. Prior to joining ACCEL Schools, he worked for IDEA Public Schools where he became Founding Principal of a Health Professions school after completing a two-year Principal Residency program working alongside top-performing principals in the network. Mr. Hawk holds a Bachelor’s degree in Middle Childhood Education from Kent State University as well as a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Ashland University. Additionally, he is currently pursuing his Superintendent License with Ashland University.