Photo: Lindsey Millbrooks at Lewisburg Elementary School, where she now is the principal. (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)
Lindsey Millbrooks today is the head principal of Lewisburg Elementary School, the campus named last fall as a Blue Ribbon School, one of just three named in 2023 for Mississippi. Milbrooks comes to Lewisburg after being an assistant principal (AP) for eight years at DeSoto Central Elementary School.
Millbrooks is daily able to see what excellence is in a school, but she did pretty well in her position as an AP, well enough to be recognized as one of the top assistant principals in the country.
The National Association of Elementary Principals last spring selected 28 top assistant principals and Millbrooks was named to represent the state of Mississippi. Twenty-one APs were from elementary schools, six from middle schools, and one from a K-8th grade school.
She learned about the selection last spring and even today is still surprised and honored by the selection.
“It’s still sinking in just a little bit as an adult, being honored for something that you just love to do, your career and following those expectations,” Millbrooks said. “It’s just a humbling experience.”
The head principal oversees everything but it’s the assistant principals who have responsibilities for specific areas and ensure the daily operation is a smooth one.
“We assist the principal, in any area that is needed,” said Millbrooks “I felt like I was a bridge for the principal and the teachers that I was there for and would help them communicate to each other.”
In her write up on the National Association of Elementary School Principals website, Millbrooks said there was more in an assistant principal’s job than working with students and parents, and creating schedules.
“We thrive on ensuring that all students have access to their education,” Millbrooks wrote. “We make informed decisions. ‘Knowing and growing students’ is our mission, and I feel that putting relationships and student needs first has a direct impact on student improvement.”
The areas of responsibilities can be numerous for an assistant principal, Millbrooks points out, adding she gains a great appreciation for the job assistants do now that she’s in the principal’s office.
“I get to see the other side of it,” she said. “It’s always been a goal of mine to be a principal so I’m glad that I have reached that, but I enjoyed being an assistant principal.”
Millbrooks said to be considered for the award, she had to be nominated by either an administrator, school board member, or someone in education at the state level. In her case, the nominator did so anonymously but she did learn it was a school board member who made the nomination.
The process likely started last fall and it was a state panel who last spring chose her for the award.
Millbrooks took on the Lewisburg Elementary position this fall when Cynthia Dixon retired. Before becoming an administrator, Millbrooks was a teacher in first and second grade classes and was also a state testing and MTSS coordinator.
