BARNESVILLE — Kelly Rine is going back to school.

The former St. Clairsville Athletics Director, who retired after 13 years with the Red Devils and 28 years in athletic administration, was formally approved as the interim athletics director at Barnesville during a special board of education meeting Thursday.

“We were looking at the big picture and wanted to make sure the athletic department was running as smoothly as it could and someone actually mentioned Kelly’s name,” Barnesville Superintendent Angela Hannahs said. “With his experience, character and background will help us navigate and not miss a beat with what we need.”

Hannahs approached Rine earlier this week to gauge his interest, met with him on Tuesday and she made the recommendation to the board.

“I obviously didn’t anticipate this,” Rine said. “Ms. Hannahs reached out and I’ve always held Barnesville Schools and the community in high regard. I thought it would be a good opportunity to make an impact and assist in a time of need on their end.”

The need for an interim athletics director comes just a week after Hannahs placed Ryan Rosnick on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of an investigation into the athletic department.

Rosnick was the A.D. at Monroe Central prior to being hired at Barnesville to replace current Martins Ferry A.D. Mark Cook in July. A recently released audit report showed the Monroe Central Athletic Department to be missing $5400 from gate reciepts from volleyball and basketball.

When that news came to light, Hannahs launched an investigation at Barnesville and decided to place Rosnick on leave.

“The investigation into Mr. Rosnick is still ongoing,” Hannahs said. “Kelly will be the A.D. on an as-needed basis. He will begin (Friday) and we will go from there.”

Rine was given no timetable for how long his services may be needed, which he admitted he was fine with.

“I went into this knowing full well it’s strictly on an interim basis,” Rine said. “I have relationships in Barnesville and I am looking forward to seeing if we can keep the athletic department moving forward.”

For the past week, Hannahs has been serving as the A.D. and she expressed her gratitude to everyone who helped her during the process.

“Things have gone well, and I’ve had a lot of people reach out and offer support,” Hannahs said. “We have a wonderful administration team, wonderful staff — both teaching and support. It’s gone as smoothly as it could have.”

Meanwhile, Rine will be coming back into an athletic department for the first time since June when he completed his contract at St. Clairsville. Prior to leading the Red Devils’ programs, he spent 10 years at Albany Alexander and five at Meadowbrook.

“It’s a matter of getting to know the system and seeing what requirements and deadlines need met,” Rine said. “I want to make sure the student-athletes aren’t at risk of being in jeopardy of anything. I also want to make sure the (Barnesville) coaches know the communication lines are open.”

During his time in retirement, Rine became a football official, worked part time at Oglebay Park and worked for Straub Automotive.

“I definitely wasn’t bored because I was active enough to stay busy, but I was enjoying the flexibility in my daily schedule, but I feel like the time away from the grind makes it easier to jump back in,” Rine said. “When (Barnesville) called, I didn’t have any (reservations), but I had to make two calls. First was to my wife, Dr. Dee Nazzaro, and the second was to (St. Clairsville Superintendent) Dr. Walt Skaggs. I had both of their blessings.”