The Pensacola Beach Elementary School Board of Directors announced today that Rachel Watts will serve as the school principal for the 2023-2024 school year.
Watts was born and raised in Pensacola, Florida. Her family has a long history of living on Pensacola Beach. Her grandparents, Alphonse and Dorothy Condon, owned one of the first homes on Pensacola Beach. Her parents, Bill and Dottie Hepworth, have owned a house on the island for 50 years. Mrs. Watts and her family live on Pensacola Beach, as well.
Mrs. Watts’ husband, Jon, is the Assistant Principal at Gulf Breeze High School. Her daughter, Kristen, is a recent graduate of Florida State University, and is now attending Auburn College of Pharmacy.
Mrs. Watts is a graduate of Escambia High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Florida State University. Then she attended the University of West Florida where she earned a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction/Reading Education, Educational Leadership Certification, and a specialist degree in Educational Leadership. She started her teaching career at Edgewater Elementary School where she taught first grade, second grade, and reading resource, for a total of ten years. Then she transferred to Jim Allen Elementary School. She was the assistant principal for eight years, and the principal at Jim Allen Elementary School for fifteen years. She then transferred to Hellen Caro Elementary as principal for one year.
Mrs. Watts states that she “leads with integrity, honesty, and love, and is proud and honored to be named the principal of Pensacola Beach Elementary School”. The Pensacola Beach Elementary School Board of Director