The Okaloosa County School Board approved Lydia Hanneken as the Assistant Principal of Fort Walton Beach High School (FWBHS), Aimee Lewis as the Assistant Principal of Northwood Elementary School, and Beke Heald as the Specialist of Student Services at the June 24, 2024, School Board meeting.
Lydia Hanneken, Assistant Principal of Fort Walton Beach High School
Lydia Hanneken is a proud graduate of FWBHS. She majored in English Education at Florida State University and was hired to teach English at FWBHS in 2006. Married to an Air Force pilot, Mrs. Hanneken and her family moved around the country, returning to Okaloosa County in 2016, where FWBHS again hired her.
Mrs. Hanneken has taught nearly every level of high school English and Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Thinking Skills. She completed a master’s in English from Northwestern State University of Louisiana in 2017 and transitioned to Dean of Students at FWBHS in March 2022. She completed a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of West Florida in 2023.
Hanneken and her husband, Matt, have three boys. Mrs. Hanneken is excited to continue to serve her Viking family as an Assistant Principal.
Aimee Lewis, Assistant Principal of Northwood Elementary School
Aimee Lewis was born and raised in Indiana. After high school, she began her educational journey, graduating from Indiana University in 2008, with her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She began her career teaching 2nd grade in Indiana. In 2012, she moved to Okaloosa County and joined the Northwood Elementary School faculty where she taught first grade for four years and third grade for six years.
In the past two years, Mrs. Lewis has taken on the role of Dean of Students at Northwood Elementary School. During this time, she pursued her education, recently graduating in May of 2024 from the University of West Florida with a master’s degree in educational leadership.
Lewis and her husband, Travis, have been married for 18 years and are the proud parents of two amazing children. She is thrilled to continue her journey as a Northwood Cougar.
Beke Heald, Specialist, Student Services
Beke Heald has over 20 years of experience in education and mental health. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a certified teacher with coverage for Guidance and Counseling, Exceptional Student Education (ESE), and Elementary Education, and has the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) endorsement.
Ms. Heald grew up in a military family, graduated from Niceville High School, and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in counseling and psychology. Before entering the school system, she began her career by working with adults in residential treatment programs, with a focus on clients with nonverbal autism and schizophrenia. She also taught General Educational Development (GED) classes and coordinated career readiness and work placement programs for adults with disabilities. For the last 10 years, Ms. Heald has focused on supporting students and their families through multiple roles in the Okaloosa County School District. She started in Okaloosa County Schools as a school counseling intern at Davidson Middle School, before moving into the special education field as a paraprofessional in a Vocational Education (VE) classroom at Ruckel Middle School and an ESE resource teacher at Bluewater Elementary School.
Ms. Heald is currently a Licensed Mental Health Counselor at Niceville High School. In this role, she has provided mental health and wellness services directly to students. She has also been a collaborative leader in the areas of developing OCSD’s FOCUS Mental Health documentation program, ongoing professional development for her colleagues, becoming a certified Hope Squad advisor, and a Youth Mental Health First Aid instructor.
Heald and her husband, Greg, have four children, one who recently graduated from Niceville High School and three others currently in Okaloosa County Schools.
Congratulations!!