Ms. Tammilee Kelly has announced that she will be departing from her position as principal at Wyandotte Elementary School in December as her husband has accepted a position as Associational Missions Strategist in north Louisiana. The unexpected leadership change will result in the placement of an “acting” principal for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year.
Under Ms. Kelly’s leadership, the school demonstrated academic gains throughout the period of school interruptions as she worked to steadfastly focus on classroom instruction and addressing the learning needs of students. The current assistant principal of Hattie Watts Elementary, Ms. Celeste Pipes has accepted the appointment to fill the “acting” principal role, Ms. Pipe’s will be working with Ms. Kelly in the weeks ahead to fluidly transition and sustain the school’s progress.
Ms. Pipes has served as a teacher in St. Mary Parish Schools for 18 years, working at both Maitland Elementary and Bayou Vista Elementary Schools. She has also hosted numerous student teachers through Nicholls State University, many of whom now teach in the school system. In 2019, Ms. Pipes was honored as St. Mary Parish Elementary Teacher of the Year. She has additionally worked as a teacher representative in district projects regarding curriculum design and technology integration.
Replacing Ms. Pipes as “acting” assistant principal will be Ms. Courtney Folse who currently serves as curriculum facilitator at Hattie Watts Elementary. Prior to becoming the school’s curriculum facilitator, Ms. Folse taught first grade at Berwick Elementary School and has a strong foundation in elementary curriculum and effective classroom instruction. Given her experience within the school, transitioning into a leadership role is expected to be efficient and effective.