Board approves Buchanan as Mill Creek principal

Carmen Buchanan is the new principal for Mill Creek Elementary School. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Madison Board of Education has approved Carmen Buchanan as the new principal for Mill Creek Elementary School.

Dr. Claudia Styles recently resigned from the position. Thirty-eight people applied for the job. Five advanced to final interviews with a selection committee “comprised mostly of stakeholders from Mill Creek,” John Peck, public relations director for Madison City Schools, said.

Most recently, Buchanan had worked as coordinator of instructional technology for Madison City Schools. She was appointed to this new position only this past summer.

Twenty-one years ago, her career in education started at Liberty Middle School, where she taught language arts, social science and performing arts for several years. She then moved into the instructional partner position at Liberty for two years.

For one year each, Buchanan then served as assistant principal at Liberty and James Clemens High School before accepting the coordinator position at the Central Office.

Buchanan has been published in “Educational Leadership” professional journal and the book, “A+ Teaching: 180 Ways to Enhance Your Success as a Teacher.” She is a charter member for the Alabama Instructional Partner Pilot.

In 2010, Buchanan was named Madison’s “Secondary Teacher of the Year” and Liberty’s “Teacher of the Year” for 2010, 2004 and 1998. She co-founded EdCamp for the Madison district.

At Athens State University, Buchanan earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a middle-school endorsement in language arts and social studies. She received a master’s degree in instructional leadership at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Her husband Craig works as a real estate broker for Ben Porter Real Estate. Their sons are Taylor, a junior at James Clemens, and Braylon, a first-grader at Mill Creek Elementary School.