MPSD announces administrative changes

Apr. 24—Meridian Public School District students will see a few new administrative faces on some school campuses beginning in the fall, the district announced on Tuesday.

Jackie McFarland will return to the Meridian school district to serve as principal of West Hills Elementary School, replacing Shannon Miller who will retire at the end of the school year.

"I am excited to return to Meridian Public School District because this is home, and I am honored to step back into the role of elementary principal at West Hills Elementary," McFarland said in a media release from the school district. "Together, let's continue cultivating a community where every child's potential is nurtured and every achievement celebrated."

McFarland, who formerly taught and served in administrative roles in the district, has spent the past four years leading N.H. Pilate Middle School in the Newton Municipal School District.

A graduate of Meridian High School, McFarland earned her Doctorate of Education from Arkansas State University, an Education Specialist degree from Mississippi State University-Meridian Campus and a Master of Science from the University of West Alabama. She received her bachelor's degree in elementary education from MSU-Meridian and her associate degree from Meridian Community College.

McFarland began her career as a first-grade teacher assistant at Oakland Heights Elementary in 1999 before teaching second and third grades at Witherspoon Elementary the following year. She moved back to Oakland Heights to teach third grade for the next eight years, then served as the lead teacher at T.J. Harris Elementary for the 2009-2010 school year. She transitioned into administration, serving the next decade as assistant principal at Magnolia Middle, principal at Northwest Middle, principal at Parkview Elementary, assistant principal at Meridian High and assistant principal at Oakland Heights.

Taking the helm of Northwest Middle School for the 2024-2025 school year is Michael McDonald, who once walked the halls of the school as a junior high student.

McDonald, who has spent the past 20 years in education, comes to the district from the Leake County School District, where he has served as the human resources director since May 2022.

A graduate of Meridian High, McDonald earned his Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership and a Master of Education in Mathematics Education, both from Mississippi College. He received his bachelor's degree in mathematics with a minor in history from the University of West Alabama.

McDonald began his career in education with the Jackson Public School District, serving as an eighth-grade mathematics teacher at Hardy Middle School in 2003 and a mathematics teacher at Lanier High School for the next two years. He taught mathematics at Terry High School for one year before moving to Quitman High School to serve as assistant principal from 2007 to 2011. He then served two years as principal at Quitman Junior High before returning to the high school to serve as principal until 2016. He was named the 2016 Quitman Public School District's Administrator of the Year. McDonald then returned to Lanier High to serve as principal from 2016 to 2019 before transitioning to the Mississippi Department of Education, where he worked in the Office of School Improvement as a lead school implementation coach from July 2019 until April 2022.

Joining the Meridian school district for the next school year is Harrison Michael, who will become the new director of Marion Park, replacing Theresa Chisolm who will retire at the end of the school year. He currently serves as a graduation coach for the Jackson Public School District.

Michael earned his doctorate in educational leadership, a master's degree in educational leadership and a bachelor's degree in biology, all from Jackson State University.

He began his career in education in 2000 as a science teacher and athletic coach at Siwell Middle School in Jackson. He served as assistant principal and athletic director at Raymond High School from 2004 until 2008. Over the years, he has served as a teacher, athletic coach, assistant principal, athletic director and principal at schools in the Jackson, Hinds County and Vicksburg-Warren school districts. From 2021 to 2023, he served as the executive director of district and school operations/alternative school director for the Mississippi Achievement School District in Yazoo before returning to the Jackson district for this school year.

Named the district's new director of curriculum and instruction is Melanie Jackson, replacing Janet Fortner who is retiring at the end of the school year.

Jackson has worked as a K-12 instructional specialist for the district since 2019. Prior to that, she served as a K-8th grade academic coach for two years. She began her educational career as a classroom teacher.

Jackson earned her Educational Specialist in Instructional Leadership, a Master of Elementary Education, a Master of Instructional Leadership and her bachelor's degree in elementary education, all from the University of West Alabama.

Named the district's director of federal programs for the next school year is Christine Beeker, who will replace Kelli Speed, who also is retiring.

Beeker returned to the Meridian district in 2021 as the federal programs monitoring and compliance specialist.

She began her career in education in 2012 as a seventh and eighth-grade English teacher in the Chilton County School District in Alabama. She joined the Meridian school district in 2014, teaching English I at Meridian High Freshman Academy. For the 2017-2018 school year, she served as an administrative intern at Poplar Springs Elementary before leaving the district to serve as principal at Mason Elementary School in Laurel from 2018 until 2021.

Beeker holds an Educational Specialist in Educational Leadership from the University of Mississippi, a master's degree in reading education from Jackson State University and a bachelor's degree in English Language Arts from the University of Alabama. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in educational leadership through William Carey University.

Contact Glenda Sanders at gsanders@themeridianstar.com.