Michelle McClellan took over as the new commander-in-chief of the Jackson Generals at Jackson Elementary in July, but she’s always known she was meant to be leading students.
“I was that kid that played school from the time I was in school,” McClellan said. “I felt called to be a teacher.”
The New York native has been on the front lines of the education field for the last 22 years. Now in her first principal role, she hopes to help Jackson students take ownership of their learning while uniting staff, parents and the Plant City community by inspiring and preparing students for the future.
Called to the Classroom
McClellan and her family relocated to Tampa from New York when she was 10 years old. After graduating from Leto High School, McClellan moved to Tennessee. She attended Trevecca Nazarene University, where she earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. McClellan stayed in the Volunteer State to accept her first teaching job.
“I’ve taught third through eighth grades, with a majority in fifth grade,” McClellan said. “I was usually departmentalized, so most of my years were spent teaching math.”
McClellan returned to Florida in 1997 and entered the Hillsborough County School District in 2004. It was then she considered climbing the ranks in the school system.
“I had administrators that saw it in me,” McClellan said. “I took leadership classes.”
She began taking on extra roles on campus, from serving as a department and grade lead to training and mentoring new teachers. In 2008, she received her education leadership degree from Nova Southeastern University.
McClellan worked at Apollo Beach Elementary for six years before taking her most recent position at Robinson Elementary as the assistant principal.
She’s ready for her next endeavor. McClellan came to Jackson Elementary on July 20, after interviewing for the position July 18. She replaces the newly-retired Dora Madison.
As the new principal, McClellan has her sights set on making the school, which has 500 students, a unified front.
“I want to build a culture within the school,” McClellan said. “I want there to be a family feel. I want the community to know we love their students. We want our families and our community to feel welcome on campus. I just see it as a hub of the community.”
General Excellence
It’s likely parents have noticed the unifying efforts at Jackson. This year, McClellan implemented a parent liaison for Spanish-speaking parents to improve communication efforts. The school also is offering updated parent links, a website and newsletter with important notices.
“We want to embrace the diversity of our school,” McClellan said. “We’re more than 50% Hispanic. Hopefully (parents) notice a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. It’s so important to communicate with parents. Almost
everything is brand new this year. We want to have our students love coming to school and inspire them.”
The school has just chosen a new student council and will soon be adding students to the School Advisory Council to share input with parents and business partners. McClellan believes the efforts will bring both the school and staff closer together.
“We want to hear from the students as well,” McClellan said. “I’m excited to be trying to build a family atmosphere with 75 individuals I’ve just met. When you’re on a team together with one vision, you can accomplish anything.”
So far, McClellan has gotten positive feedback about the improvements she’s already made to the school.
“It’s a collaborative atmosphere,” she said. “I’m trying to spend time in student classrooms and get to know them. I’ve gotten positive feedback from Spanish parents … we’re already making half of our families feel more welcome at school.”
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.