The Okaloosa County School Board approved Stephanie Wheat as the Principal of Longwood Elementary School, and Kimberly Nihill Taylor, Principal of Okaloosa STEMM Academy at the July 8, 2024, School Board meeting.
Stephanie Wheat – Longwood Elementary School
Stephanie Wheat is a product of Okaloosa County having graduated from Choctawhatchee High School after attending Pryor Middle School. She has a Bachelor's in Elementary Education with a minor in Special Education and Music from Mississippi University for Women. Mrs. Wheat has worked with children who have disabilities for nearly 30 years, beginning as a camp counselor at Rotary Camp for students with severe mental and physical abilities, which gave her a desire to teach these special students.
After returning to Okaloosa County to teach, she worked at Mary Esther Elementary as the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Resource teacher and later as a Teacher on Special Assignment in Guidance. Mrs. Wheat earned her master’s in educational leadership from the University of West Florida in 2008 and was selected as the Assistant Principal at Ruckel Middle School a few years later. In 2016, she was selected as the Assistant Principal for Edwins Elementary, and in 2019 the Principal at Silver Sands School where she has been honored to serve the Seahorses there.
She lives in Fort Walton Beach and has been married to Jay Wheat, also a teacher in Okaloosa County, for 21 years. They have three beautiful children, Victoria (who attends Choctawhatchee High School), Alexander (who attends Pryor Middle School), and Silas (who will be in Kindergarten at Kenwood Elementary School in the Fall). They attend Cornerstone Church in FWB where Stephanie and Jay lead worship.
Kimberly Nihill Taylor – Okaloosa STEMM Academy
Kimberly Nihill Taylor is a proud product of the Okaloosa County School District. As a military child, she moved with her family numerous times throughout her youth and her dad was stationed twice at Eglin Air Force Base. She attended Oak Hill Elementary School, Lewis Junior High, and graduated from Niceville High School. Nihill Taylor attended the University of West Florida majoring in Studio Art. In 1992, she joined the Art Department at Meigs Middle School, and in 1993 join the Niceville High School staff. She taught 9th through 12th grade Art at varying levels including Advance Placement (AP) Art History and AP Portfolio. She coached volleyball and softball before becoming the electives Department Chair.
Ms. Taylor completed her master’s degree in educational leadership at the University of West Florida in 1996, was Okaloosa County’s Teacher of the Year in 2002, and received her Nation Board Teacher certification in 2006. She moved into the Dean’s position at Niceville High School 8 years ago and was selected as an Assistant Principal at Niceville High School a few months later. She has served on numerous committees at the school and district level to include School Advisory Council (SAC), AP Finance and Resources, School Performance Plan (SPP), and Mentor.
For over 30 years, Nihill Taylor has worked with incredibly talented people from Okaloosa County School District that have mentored and supported her along this journey.
Nihill Taylor is the wife of Rod Taylor who is a teacher at Niceville High School. They have two children, Logan who is 25, currently working on Eglin AFB civil service, and London who is 20, a rising Junior at the University of Florida. She knows she would not be who she is today without the love and support of her family.