Dear Natural Bridge Family and Friends,

It is with honor and excitement that I write this letter of introduction to you as the Principal of Natural Bridge Elementary School.  I am eager to see each student grow academically, socially, and emotionally. I am pleased to work with amazing teachers and staff that are caring, knowledgeable, and nurturing.

On a personal note, I am a native of Rockbridge County and a proud graduate of Rockbridge County High School, class of 1993.  I am married to Dwayne Hickman and we have two sons. Spencer is nineteen and attends Liberty University, and Tanner is twelve and in seventh grade at Maury River Middle School. This is my twenty-fourth year with Rockbridge County Schools.  Since I was a child, I have known that I wanted to be a teacher.  I have previously taught at Central Elementary for twenty-three years.  I was blessed to teach first grade for nine years and then moved to third grade where I continued to teach.  I was fortunate enough to make a difference in the lives of many students, and am now ready to move forward into this new position where I can continue to do that in a different capacity. 

I believe it is important to build trust and relationships to create a trusting community.  These  relationships include teacher and student; student and student; teacher and teacher; and family and school.  We are a team with the same goal – to make a positive difference in a child’s life. The important things are to encourage students to dream; to believe in them until they believe it too; and teach them how to keep going when life gets hard.  The foundation is love, trust, and respect. I believe that we all have our strengths and weaknesses (abilities and disabilities) and we must learn to build on the strengths and compensate for the weaknesses. School should be a safe place to learn ‘how to do it better the next time’ and practice skills that are imperative for a successful life.

This year is going to be amazing as we strive to provide academic experiences for NBES students that are rigorous, relevant, and help them build relationships while making real-world connections.  As your principal, it is important to me that everyone who steps through our doors, teachers, students and parents, are excited to be here!  This attitude enables us to meet the challenges of academic excellence in a positive, fun, and nurturing environment.  My  door is always open and I welcome your input.  Please feel free to call or email me to discuss any concerns you might have throughout the school year.   

I look forward to working with you as a team to help each student at Natural Bridge Elementary have a successful school year!

Blessings,

Melanie Hickman