Alicia Waddail looks forward to serving at Madison’s newest school
MADISON – With its opening set for the 2026-2027 school year, Russell Branch Elementary School has filled another slot – an experienced educator who is well known in Madison City Schools circles.
Alicia Waddail will serve as a MAAP administrator in the Madison Aspiring Administrators Program. She has compiled 20-plus years in her teaching career, which began in 2004 as a collaborative teacher in Savannah, Ga.
Waddail’s family then relocated to the Madison area, and she began teaching at Sparkman High School with a focus in special education. “My husband Jeff and I moved to Huntsville. I worked as a self-contained teacher at Sparkman from 2006 to 2012,” she said.
In 2012, she joined fellow teachers in the Madison City Schools district; she worked as inclusion and Transition K-1 teacher at Mill Creek Elementary School, transferred to Columbia Elementary School and then returned to Mill Creek in 2017 as a collaborative teacher.
Most recently, Waddail had filled a position for MAAP at Heritage Elementary School. In addition, she has served in numerous leadership roles within her school and assisted in district-wide responsibilities.
The Waddail family lives in Madison. Alicia and Jeff’s two children attended schools in the MCS district.
Waddail earned a bachelor’s degree in special education – collaborative. She also holds a master’s degree in elementary education.
“I have taught a wide range of levels and grades: high school in a self-contained setting, middle school inclusion/collaborative setting, kindergarten and first grade transitional level and all elementary grades in an inclusion/collaborative setting,” she said in her profile for the school’s website.
Mill Creek selected Waddail as “Teacher of the Year” for 2025.
“I have enjoyed every school, student and job I have had in my amazing career and have been blessed beyond measure. (As MAAP Principal), I am looking forward to working with our students and helping them grow in all areas,” Waddail said in a previous interview.
“I enjoy everything St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, Georgia Southern University and University of Georgia football,” Waddail said. “When not watching or playing sports with my family, I enjoy running and time outside.”
