Melissa Hadder named new principal at Shades Mountain Elementary School

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The Hoover school board this morning appointed Melissa Hadder, an assistant principal at Spain Park High School, as the new principal for Shades Mountain Elementary School.

Hadder is replacing Juli Feltham, who is retiring after 20 years as principal at Shades Mountain and a 38-year career in public schools.

Shades Mountain Elementary School is Hoover’s smallest public school, with about 320 students this past school year.

Hadder has been an assistant principal at Spain Park for five years and served as the school’s instructional leader the past two years. But she has been in education for more than 25 years.

She began her career as a music teacher for three elementary schools in Pike County and then was a band teacher for two years at the K-12 Sweet Water High School. She then spent five years as a band teacher at Rutledge Middle School and Midfield High School and five years as a guidance counselor at Calera Middle and High School before moving into administration.

She served two years as an assistant principal at Vincent High School and one year as a ninth-grade assistant principal at Homewood High School before going back into counseling. She worked as a guidance counselor for two years at Vincent High School and one year each at Shelby County High School and Calera High School.

Hadder moved back into administration in 2012, serving one year as an assistant principal at Calera High School before coming to Spain Park in 2013.

She has a bachelor’s degree in music education from Troy State University, a master’s degree in school counseling from the University of West Alabama, and educational leadership certification and an education specialist degree from the University of Montevallo.

The school board approved Superintendent Kathy Murphy’s recommendation to hire Hadder during a special meeting held this morning at the Alabama Association of School Boards building in Montgomery. The board is holding a retreat there today, and it is open to the public.

The school board also met on Monday and approved many personnel changes, including the following changes in administration positions:

  • Autumm Jeter, the principal at Magnolia Elementary School in Trussville, was named Hoover’s director of curriculum and instruction, replacing Chief Academic Officer Cindy Adams, who retired.
  • Miriam Moore was named an assistant principal at Hoover High School, replacing Rita Barksdale, who retired.
  • Justin Jones, an English teacher at Bumpus Middle School, was named an assistant principal at Bumpus, which added an assistant principal position due to student population growth with rezoning.
  • Donna Smiley, a science teacher at Hoover High, was named an assistant principal there, replacing Carrie Busby, who has moved to Mountain Brook High School.

This article was updated at 10:28 a.m. on July 6 with additional information about Hadder's career.