Pam Dudding
Contributing writer
From tiny toddlers to teens, Melissa Whiting has worked with and taught all ages of Craig County youth. Now she will continue to lead the school as principal of Craig County High School.
Whiting spent 20 years teaching both kindergarten and second grade at McCleary Elementary. In 2016, she accepted a teaching position at the middle school, while pursuing her Administrative Degree from Liberty University.
When the CCHS principal position opened at the beginning of the school year, Melissa was named Acting Principal. At the September School Board meeting, she was appointed principal of Craig County High School.
“I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to serve and work with the students, families and faculty of Craig County,” Whiting said.
Whiting is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University with a B.S. in Communications and Journalism. She moved to the Roanoke area during the week of the flood of ’85 to work for WSLC and Q99 Radio. She also worked for WROV Radio for multiple years.
“I married my husband, Bud Whiting (a Craig County native) in 1986, and we have two beautiful daughters, Rachel and Carly,” Whiting said. Rachel, her oldest daughter, graduated from Craig County High in 2007 and is currently a Roanoke County attorney. Carly, a 2009 Craig County High graduate, is the manager of Salon del Sol Spa and Salon.
Melissa added, “I returned to school when the girls were little to get my teaching degree and began teaching at Craig County Public Schools in 1996.”
Whiting has also served as District Writing Coordinator, 504 Coordinator and as the Student Testing Coordinator. She completed her Master’s in Educational Administration and Supervision over the summer and was appointed K – 7 Intervention Coordinator.
The current CCHS Senior Class was the largest kindergarten class that Whiting ever taught. “There were 26 of those sweet babies, and I have memories of each and every one of them,” she said. “I have watched them grow from elementary students to middle schoolers and now have the opportunity to spend time with them as young ladies and gentlemen in their high school years. I am looking forward to leading the school’s instructional practices and organizational processes.”
Said Superintendent Jeanette Warwick, “I am pleased to have Mrs. Whiting as part of the administrative team of Craig County Public Schools. She brings a wealth of instructional knowledge to the position. As a long- time resident of the county, she also brings passion for the education of our students.”
Melissa’s email signature is one of Nelson Mandela’s most popular quotes: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
“I am excited to serve the community of Craig County,” Whiting said. “It is quite an honor.”
