Oakview Elementary Welcomes New Principal
Sasha Bush
The Ashland Beacon
Oakview Elementary is off to a great start for the new school year. With nearly four weeks of school under their belt, the Oakview Comets have much to be excited about. Back in early July, Oakview Elementary School announced that Jamey Sellars would be joining the Comets family as the new principal. Sellars is no stranger to working in the field of education. With over 17 years of experience, it should come as no surprise that Oakview would welcome him among its administrative ranks.
Sellars graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a Masters in Sports Education with the hope of one day working for a professional team. All that changed shortly after relocating to Ashland. Sellars shared, “I wanted to work for a professional team but had the opportunity to coach, and so I decided to pursue that avenue. This led to me being offered an assistant coaching position for the women’s tennis team at Davidson College. Once my son was born, my family moved back to the Ashland area. After a year of teaching tennis lessons, I was asked about becoming a special education teacher.”
Sellars decided to go back to school and pursue a degree in teaching. He obtained his Masters in teaching through Morehead State University. “My first 17 years of teaching was in special education. I worked at Blazer High School and taught students with moderate and severe disabilities. I taught everything from math to life skills,” said Sellars.
After teaching for 17 years, Sellars decided that it was time to try out something new. He came to the conclusion that he wanted to become a school principal. Sellars noted, “Once I decided to become a principal, I enrolled in Georgetown University and received my Master’s in Educational Leadership” Upon earning his Master’s in Educational Leadership, Sellars was welcomed by Crabbe Elementary School as the assistant principal.
The transition from being an assistant principal to principal is sure to be full of new challenges, but Sellars welcomed them with open arms. Sellars shared what the biggest transition for him has been thus far, “The biggest transition is that you are the main guy. At Crabbe, I worked with Mr. Tolbert. Currently at Oakview, we do not have an assistant principal, so there is more responsibility.”
During his first year as Oakview Elementary’s Principal, Sellars hopes to share his passion of education with everyone. Sellars stated, “I hope the teachers, students and families see my passion for the school. I want everyone to be at their best, and I hope I can help both teachers and students achieve their best.” Sellars added that he is very grateful to his family, especially his wife, Heather, for always being so supportive of all his career changes over the years. He would not be where he is today without his family. Oakview Elementary is certainly lucky to have Sellars at the helm. With such a rich background in education and a crystal-clear passion for our educational system, Sellars is sure to excel as Oakview Elementary’s newest principal.