The Okaloosa County School Board approved Jason McClelland as the Principal of Pryor Middle School and Lindsey Smith as the Principal of Fort Walton Beach High School at the December 11, 2023, School Board meeting.
Jason McClelland Named Principal of Pryor Middle School
Jason McClelland has worked in Okaloosa County since 2005, when he was hired to teach 6-8 grade science at Bruner Middle School. In 2008, he became the Dean of Students at Bruner Middle School and began his journey down the road of administration. In 2011, he was named the Assistant Principal at Destin Middle School. This was a huge turning point in his life. Not just because of the new opportunity, but because his wife, Tracy, was about to give birth to their beautiful daughter, Emma Grace. In 2013, McClelland was given the opportunity to work as the Assistant Principal at Niceville High School, and in 2015, he became the Principal at Mary Esther Elementary. For the last seven years, he has been the proud leader of the Thunderbirds!
For over 18 years, McClelland has worked with amazing people from the Okaloosa County School District. He has had the privilege of working with some of the best in the county and is honored to have had their support along this journey to where he is today. McClelland is the proud husband of Tracy McClelland and the father of Emma. He knows he would not be who he is today without the love and support of both these amazing people.
Lindsey Smith Named Principal of Fort Walton Beach High School
Lindsey Smith is a proud product of the Okaloosa County School District. As a military child, she moved with her family over a dozen times throughout her youth but settled in the area in 1995 when she attended Lewis Middle School, Meigs Middle School, and ultimately graduated from Choctawhatchee High School. Smith attended Florida State University majoring in Secondary English Education. In 2006, she joined the English Department at Fort Walton Beach High School, and as a Viking, she taught 10th, 11th, and 12th grade English at varying levels, as well as AICE Thinking Skills and Creative Writing. She completed her Master's Degree in Educational Leadership at the University of West Florida in 2011. Smith was selected for her first administrative job as Assistant Principal of Bruner Middle School. She was soon called back to serve Fort Walton Beach High School as an Assistant Principal in 2017. She has most recently led Lewis School as Principal since January of 2021.
Smith is married to Chester Smith who is also a product of the Okaloosa County School system and currently works as a Civilian on Eglin AFB and as a Major in the US Army Reserves. They have two children, Wyatt who is 9, and Emma who is 6. She is excited to rejoin the Viking Family and is ready to passionately serve the Fort Walton Beach High School community, faculty, staff, and students.
Congratulations!