FLOMATON, Ala. — Flomaton Elementary School’s new principal is easing the youngest members of the student body into their first year of school before the rest of the building even reopens for the fall.
Leslie Sellers, who officially took over as principal on July 1, launched a kindergarten boot camp this week to help incoming students get comfortable with their classrooms, meet their teachers and start building routines ahead of the first day of school. The camp began Monday and runs from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. through Thursday.
Teachers across the school are scheduled to report Aug. 4, with students returning to class Aug. 10. For a five-year-old walking into a school building for the first time, though, that first bell can be less intimidating with a practice run already under their belt.
Sellers said the camp reflects the approach she wants to bring to the school as a whole.
“I’ve enjoyed working in the Flomaton community,” Sellers said. “This is my next step in my career path.”
A Career Rooted in Escambia County
Sellers is a native of Atmore and was a member of the first graduating class at Northview High School in 1996. She went on to attend Jefferson Davis Community College in Brewton for two years before transferring to Auburn University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business education. She later returned to Auburn for a master’s degree in the same field.
Her teaching career began outside the region, with stops at Sylacauga High School and then eight years at Vestavia Hills. It was during that stretch that she married her husband, Ray, who is also from Atmore. The couple has two sons, Jackson, 16, and Myles, 13.
When the family moved back to the Atmore area, Sellers returned to Northview before spending three years at J.U. Blacksher High School and five years at Escambia County High School in Atmore, where she was promoted to assistant principal. From there she moved to Rachel Patterson Elementary School as assistant principal, then to Flomaton High School in the same role, before being named principal at Flomaton Elementary.
New Faces in the Building
Sellers said she is starting the school year with a significant amount of turnover on her staff, including nine new teachers, an additional pre-K aide and a new bookkeeper. Despite the changes, she said the team is ready.
“Everybody’s on board,” she said, adding that she was encouraged by colleagues to apply for the Flomaton Elementary position and is looking forward to the new school year.
Why Kindergarten Boot Camps Matter
Transition programs like the one at Flomaton Elementary have become increasingly common across Alabama school systems as educators look for ways to ease the jump from home or day care into a full classroom setting. A short, low-stakes introduction before the first official day gives young children the chance to learn where their classroom is, practice basic routines such as lining up and using school supplies, and meet the adults who will be guiding them each day — all without the added pressure of a full class schedule.
For families, the camp offers an early look at what the school year will bring and a chance to ask questions before the larger rush of the first week of classes. School officials say that early comfort with the building and staff often translates into a smoother adjustment once the full student body returns.
Flomaton Elementary School serves students in the town of Flomaton, which straddles the Escambia County line near the Alabama-Florida state border. The school is part of the Escambia County School System, which also oversees Escambia County High School, J.U. Blacksher and several other campuses across the county.