DIOCESAN NEWS
08/22/08
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Three elementary schools get new principals
By Fabvienen Taylor
    JACKSON — New principals have been named for three Diocese of Jackson pre-kindergarten to sixth-grade elementary schools for the 2008-2009 school year, according to Sister Deborah Hughes, superintendent.
    In Columbus, Barbara Calland is the new principal of Annunciation Elementary School.
Calland attended West Chester State College, West Chester, Penn., where in 1977 she earned a bachelor’s in music education, majoring in piano with a vocal/choral concentration.
    In 2000 she attained a master in music education from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, Kansas City, Mo.
    She began her teaching career at Cherokee High School, Marlton, N. J., as vocal music teacher and musical theater director.
    Calland went on to teach music and direct choirs at public, Catholic and private elementary schools in Spain, Florida, Hawaii, Virginia, California and Kansas before coming to Mississippi.
    In Columbus she served as choir director for Heritage Academy and artistic director for Columbus Junior Girlschoir.
    At Annunciation Parish, Callahan is liturgy coordinator and director of the adult /children choir.
    She holds professional memberships in the Music Educators National Conference, American Choral Directors Association and the Choristers Guild.
    Callahan received a Certificate of Award from the Southwestern Choral Directors Association and the Meritorious Medal of the Archdiocese for the Military Services .
    In Canton, Felicia Jackson-Stewart is Holy Child Jesus Elementary School’s new principal.
    An alumnae of the school, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English education from Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio, in 1995, and a master’s in education administration from the University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, Mich.
    She began her career as English-Language Arts instructor and After School-Title One Project Graduation Program administrator at Oak Park High School, Oak Park, Mich.
    In addition to teaching English/Language Arts/Drama in several Detroit high schools and in Memphis, Tenn., Jackson-Stewart served in administrative/executive/advisory positions in the areas of strategic planning, curriculum, state testing assessment, and small learning community.
    Before coming to Holy Child Jesus, she taught literature and language arts at Callaway High School in Jackson and prepared students for the Mississippi Subject Area Test Program (SATP).
    Jackson-Stewart holds professional memberships in Phi Delta Kappa National Education Honor Society, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
    In Greenville, Michelle Gardiner is the new principal of Our Lady of Lourdes elementary School.
    Last year she was assistant principal of the school and before that taught the pre-kindergarten class.
    Gardiner earned a bachelor’s in elementary education from Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, La., in 1988 and a masters in science from Mississippi State University in 1993.
    She began her teaching career teaching kindergarten at Northside Elementary, Denham Springs, La.
    Gardiner has taught kindergarten in public schools in Arkansas and in Mississippi, Starkville and Leland.
    Among the honors she has recieved are the Kappa Award for Excellence and Professional Education Fraternity from Phi Delta Kappa.
    Professional memberships include the National and Mississippi councils of Teachers for Mathematics, Kappa Kappa Iota and the International Reading Association.

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