HOLMES BEACH – The 2020-21 school year has come to an end and Anna Maria Elementary is saying goodbye to principal Jackie Featherston. Featherston has been serving in the district since 1979, and has been principal of Anna Maria Elementary for the past six years.
Mike Masiello has been named the new principal. Masiello has been with Manatee schools since 1996, most recently serving as principal of Ballard Elementary since 2016.
Also retiring after the 2020-21 school year is Karen Paul, who has been with the school for 38 years.
“I am very grateful and honored to have had the incredibly special opportunity to have Karen Paul as my third-grade teacher, my daughter’s third-grade teacher, a dear friend, and a mentor teacher to me at Anna Maria Elementary for my first five years of teaching,” said Maggie VanWormer, a first-grade teacher at the school.
Fifth-grade teacher Mary Miller is also retiring. VanWormer said everybody loved her M&M theme. Anna Maria Elementary also says goodbye to Guidance Counselor Susan Tabicman and STEM teacher Jacque Jordan.