Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Troup County School System recently named Melanie Bastien, a former assistant principal in the Muscogee County School District, as the new principal of Callaway Elementary School.

Bastien is a Mobile, Alabama native and has lived in Georgia for 16 years. She has worked in education for 16 years as an elementary school teacher, academic coach and assistant principal at Rigdon Road Elementary School in Columbus. She still lives in Columbus and commutes regularly to LaGrange. She enjoys cooking, crafting and visiting thrift stores. Currently, she is pursuing a master’s in educational leadership from Columbus State University.

Bastien said she was led to Troup County due to its small-town feel.

“I was looking for a new opportunity,” she said. “More than anything, I really connected with the district’s values as I was doing my research, especially those of engagement, equity, integrity and passion. They really aligned with my values as a person.”

On Wednesday, Bastien met with several of her future students, their parents and her future co-workers at a meet-and-greet at CES. She said the opportunity was a great way for her to set the goals she had for the school and its students.

“I told teachers yesterday I want to […] listen and observe,” Bastien said. “I want to spend a lot of time in their classrooms meeting not only faculty and staff but the students and their families. We’re really going to be working on building those relationships.”

Dr. Milton Reese, the former principal of CES, submitted his resignation during the last school year, according to TCSS documents.