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After acting as interim principal since March, Melanie Hickman was appointed as the principal of Natural Bridge Elementary School at the Rockbridge County School B o a r d ’ s April meeting last Tuesday.
Hickman is now focusing on building the connections between the students, teachers, and broader Rockbridge community as she settles into her new role.
Hickman assumes this position after her predecessor, Rick Bain, transitioned to Rockbridge County Public Schools central offices as supervisor of human resources. Bain had served as the NBES principal since the 2020-2021 school year. Bain had worked as the administrative intern at the school the previous two years and as a teacher at Fairfield Elementary School the prior 10 years.
Hickman also has a long history with RCPS. Graduating from Rockbridge County High School in 1993, Hickman went on to earn her associate’s degree from Dabney S. Lancaster Community College. She transferred to Mary Baldwin University where she obtained her bachelor of arts degree in 1999. She is currently working towards a master’s degree in leadership and administration at James Madison University where she will walk across the stage in May to earn her diploma, Hickman told The News-Gazette.
Hickman began her career in education in 1999, teaching first grade at Central Elementary School for nine years and then third grade there for 15 years. Last August, she took the position of administrative intern.
As the administrative intern, Hickman balanced her time between Natural Bridge Elementary School and Fairfield Elementary School, serving as the assistant principal.
“She got the taste of different leadership styles and that’s what we wanted for her, and she took that opportunity, and she ran with it,” Superintendent Thompson told the School Board at its April meeting before he announced her as the new school principal. “She excelled and it was very obvious – we knew along that Ms. Hickman had great potential as a leader.”
Hickman was able to relish in her new role as the students and teachers of NBES celebrated their “One School One Book” project earlier this month. A Title I reading initiative, “One School One Book” is a national effort to “create a love of reading,” Hickman explained to The News-Gazette. Each student and employee received the chosen book – “The Chocolate Touch” by Patrick Catling – and they were encouraged to read and engage in the novel as a school community.
At the conclusion of the reading, NBES hosted a school assembly in which students and teachers sang songs, jumped roped, and ate chocolate treats.
“To see the teachers working together to create that love of reading for children, it just made my heart smile,” Hickman said of the project. “There’s an amazing staff here and they work very hard to meet the needs of the kids and to make connections with families. I think that particular event just goes to show how far the teachers here at Natural Bridge will go to create those connections and to help build that foundation for reading.”
Looking toward the next school year, Hickman wishes to build upon the connection between the school and community.
“I think we have a great community and I want to be able to reach out to build community partners just to create an awareness of our school and our students,” Hickman said. “I’ve said that Natural Bridge is like a hidden gem – I don’t want it to be hidden anymore. I want everyone to see how amazing it is and how amazing the students are and what great teachers we have, so that we can branch out and create more opportunities for students.”
