Meet Melanie Smith, Principal of WES
Meet Melanie Smith, Principal of Williams Elementary School!
What is your favorite thing to do over the summer?
There are so many fun things to do in Maine during the summer months and it is too difficult to pick one favorite activity. I love to go fishing, camping, kayaking, tubing, waterskiing, and hiking with my family and friends. I also enjoy volunteering to help out with the Winslow Summer Track Program. We had quite a few Williams Elementary students participate in the Winslow Summer Track Program this summer. Our WES students did an outstanding job in their events! It was a pleasure to watch them grow over the summer and to cheer them on at our track meets.
Tell us about your family!
My family is very active and loves the outdoors! My husband Justin and I have been married for 11 years. We have two amazing children. Our son, Griffin, is 9 and our daughter, Charlie, is 6. We also have two cats named Benny and Moose. We spend a lot of time at the baseball and soccer fields. We have a blast camping in our Skoolie, spending time skiing at Sugarloaf, Big Moose Mountain, and Titcomb Mountain, and we also enjoy hiking! We recently completed the “16 Counties of Maine Hiking Challenge” where we completed a hike in every county. It was a blast traveling all around the state to hike. Our favorite hikes were our sunset hike at Cadillac Mountain, a snowy hike up Mount Blue, and sleeping on top of Quaggy Jo Mountain in Aroostook State Park this past July. If you are looking for family hiking recommendations, please reach out to me!
What is one thing you’d like to share with the students of your school building?
I hope that our students walk through the doors of our wonderful Williams school building each day feeling seen, loved, heard, supported, challenged, and connected to people in our school community. I want our students to know that I am always here for them. I am here to listen, problem solve, and celebrate their successes alongside them. Whether they have a concern, an idea, or simply want to share their achievements, I am here to lend an ear and offer support. Their voices matter, and I value their thoughts and opinions. If they are ever faced with challenges, I do not want them to hesitate to reach out to me. Together, we can find solutions and turn obstacles into opportunities for growth. Anything is possible if they set their mind to it. I want our students to be courageous and to have confidence in themselves. I want each child to know that I believe in them and my goal is to ensure that they have a positive and fulfilling educational experience at Williams Elementary School.
What is your favorite book to share with students and why?
It is so hard to pick one favorite book! Right now my favorites are “Terror at Deadwood Lake,” “The Boss on Redemption Road,” “The Lost Deer Camp,” and “The Day it Rained Ducks.” These books are all part of the Hometown Hunters series written by Lane Walker. My son and I read all six books in the series last school year and we loved every single one. Walker’s stories are engaginging and keep you on the edge of your seat. Once you start reading them, you can’t put them down. This summer we read the Fishing Chronicles series and the Local Legends Series also written by Lane Walker.
I enjoy sharing these books with our students because I hope that the books have the same impact on our students that they have had on my son and I. As a child, I was a reluctant reader, and I had a very tough time finding books that excited me and made me want to read. Lane Walker’s books got my son and I excited about reading. We look forward to reading together each night. We often found ourselves reading later into the night because we were dying to find out what happens next and we could not put the book down. I want children to know that we are all readers… we just need to find the right authors and stories that excite us, that we can connect to, and that stimulate our emotions.
