NFMAA principal moving on to Pine Island Elementary
When Thomas Millins became principal of North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts in 2016, he knew he was taking the reins at a great school.
He’s now moving on to another one as he will become principal of Pine Island Elementary School as of Aug. 1.
For Millins, it was bittersweet. However, it’s a move he believes will allow him to create more balance in his life.
“It was a job that doesn’t come around very often, so I jumped on it. It’s a small, tight-knit school, community-minded, with only 250 kids,” Millins said. “It’s a school where people usually retire from. It will be a slower pace and, with three kids who attend three schools in Lee County, it will give me the chance to focus more on them.”
Millins started his career in 1998 at Trafalgar Middle School as a social studies teacher. He went to Diplomat Middle soon after before transitioning into administration in 2004 at Dunbar Middle.
Millins spent eight years as an assistant principal at Dunbar Middle School, moving on to NFMAA in 2012. He served as assistant principal at NFMAA for four years before taking over from Douglas Santini, who had turned the school from a failing institution to one of the best arts schools in the nation.
Despite the big shoes he had to fill, Millins moved the school forward, continuing the school’s artistic and academic excellence. Twice it was named a Model Arts School and was named a school where Disney would try out some of its Junior-level musicals. It earned “B” grades from the state in his first three years there.
However, having a family and overseeing a school with 1,100 students often had him working evenings.
When the Pine Island position became available following the retirement of Steven Hook, Millins told the superintendent of his interest.
Millins said he hopes to bring community involvement and experience to Pine Island Elementary.
“I bring 23 years of experience in four schools. My leadership style will fit perfectly,” Millins said.
“NFMAA is one of the finest schools in the country. It was bittersweet to move to a much different school,” Millins said. “It was the most enjoyable four years of my life. I have had the opportunity to develop and grow. I have never worked with a better group of teachers. That is the greatness of the school.”