"Get 'em to go."

The motto of the late Wayne White, former leader of the Ohio Appalachian Center for Higher Education (OACHE) and former superintendent of the Dawson-Bryant School District, has been passed on to a Dawson-Bryant peer.

Dr. Brenda Haas, principal at Coal Grove's Dawson-Bryant High School since 1999, will carry on OACHE's mission of increasing the college-going rate in the Appalachian region of Ohio.

Haas will begin her work as executive director of OACHE, housed at Shawnee State University,

on Aug. 15, pending OACHE board approval. The board will meet Aug. 5.

Haas, who holds a doctorate in education, master's in education and a bachelor of science degree, plans to be "rather busy" from day one.

"The interim director [Jake Bapst] has done a great job," Haas said.

"Now I have to go through the files, see where we are, and see what the vision is of the board.

The (OACHE) conference is coming up in October.

I plan to do a lot of networking with people, not just in the high schools and colleges but also with legislators.

"A major goal is to keep everyone at the state and national levels informed about OACHE."

In the long term, Haas would like to see an increase in students going to and finishing college.

"I would also like to see them complete college," she said.

"That's our next challenge: Making sure that once we get them there they finish."

Prior to serving as principal at the high school, Haas served as principal at Dawson-Bryant Elementary School for 8 years.

She was also a principal and teacher in the Rock Hill School System for nearly 20 years.