IN SAFE HANDS
Manatee Elementary Principal Is Making Her Mark!
WORDS & PICTURES: Wendy Dewhurst
Tami VanOverbeke may have come from the White Bear Lake
Area School District in the blustery cold of Minnesota just eight
months ago, but she brings a comforting warmth to Manatee
Elementary School as their new Principal.
As we walked the halls throughout this interview, we encountered
several students. VanOverbeke greeted each by name, and many
with a hug. She knew where they were supposed to be, asked why
they were out of class, and knew their personal story. Within a few
minutes, I could tell that the staff and students at Manatee Elementary
were in good hands.
“I started my career in education in 1990 as a kindergarten teacher,”
said VanOverbeke. “I taught in that school for nine years in four
different grade levels, and then became an intervention teacher. After
that, I was an Assistant Principal, and nally a Principal. My rst 19
years were in inner city Title I Schools, mostly K-8 schools. I have
taught primary, intermediate, and middle school.
“After the sudden death of my father, which sadly coincided with
my mom being diagnosed with breast cancer, I left that district and
joined a district that was very close to where she was living so I could
spend time with her. Whilst there, I had the pleasure of going through
the entire planning process of opening a STEM school. I was also
fortunate enough to open a brand-new Arts Magnet middle school.
That school had two campuses, and just under 2000 students. We
offered 64 electives, had 31 buses, and served children from eight
surrounding districts.
“From there, I moved back to an elementary school where I was also
the District One Director. We served students from birth through fth
grade. I worked there for six years until this past July when I joined
the School District of Manatee County.”
One of the most important things VanOverbeke strives to do is prepare
students for success by setting and maintaining high expectations,
and by really believing in the students - as well as her staff.
She added: “We can accomplish this by very purposely teaching
social skills, encouraging them to keep going especially when things
get tough, being well prepared every single minute of every single
day, and a whole lot of hard work!
“We will always have new challenges. Two immediate challenges that
I’d like to address are the tardy and attendance rates - we can’t teach
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