An education career always loomed as a possibility in her formative years. Her father, Jerald Ellington, is a long-time educator, perhaps best known as principal of Graves County High School throughout its first decade, starting in 1985. He continues in an education support role even now, conducting school safety assessments for the Kentucky Center for School Safety.
That and the fact that she had played high school basketball meant that it wasn’t surprising when she earned a bachelor’s degree, majoring in health and physical education and minoring in biology at Lambuth University. Nor was it surprising when she followed that with a master’s degree in health and P.E. from Murray State University or accepting a job as a teacher and assistant girls basketball coach at Marshall County High School.
“They didn’t have a full time position in health and physical education; so, that’s when I first taught special education and fell in love with it,” she remembered recently. “I went back to school to complete my certification in special education.” She earned Rank I Certification in learning and behavior disorders at MSU and learned more about coaching from a Kentucky legend. She served five years as an assistant to Howard Beth, Kentucky girls’ basketball’s all-time winningest coach. The Lady Marshals advanced to the state tournament while she was on staff.
A job change for her husband, Lou Ridolfi, resulted in a move and Selise Ridolfi’s teaching for a year in Campbell County. She earned an education specialist’s degree at that time at Morehead State University and stayed home as a full-time mom for five years.
The opportunity to return to western Kentucky led her to accept a position as special education learning and behavior disorders teacher for three years at Graves County Middle School. She also spent three years as the school’s softball coach, including two state championship seasons.
Her husband works in the maintenance department of Graves County High School and the couple have coached a successful traveling softball team. It included their two daughters as players. Rachel is now a high school senior and has accepted an academic scholarship to Union University in Jackson, Tenn., where she will play softball. Hannah is a high school junior and has verbally committed to play softball at Union as well.
Selise Ridolfi has served as special education teacher consultant for the district in recent years, working with all of the schools, special education staffs, administrators, and students. That includes Judy Self, who recently retired, the district’s special education director Selise Ridolfi replaces.
“I am thoroughly pleased and honored to have this opportunity to work in such a great school system because I love Graves County,” Selise Ridolfi concluded. “They’ve been good to me and my family. It’s an honor to work here and I have a great staff of teachers, who are exceptional and are committed to making a difference in the lives of students.”
