Ocean Palms Elementary School welcomed its new principal, Mollie Altick, to the Otter Raft as Tiffany Cantwell, who has served the school for the past eight years as principal, said goodbye to her OPE family. It was a bittersweet chapter for the students, staff and parents at the school.
Altick joins Ocean Palms from Creekside High School where she served as assistant principal; however, she is no stranger to the halls of OPE — her children attended the school, and she was a teacher there several years ago.
Her background includes serving as an instructional literacy coach at Nease High School, a district curriculum coordinator for K-12 literacy and an assistant principal who helped open Beachside High School. Aside from her vast experience, she is deeply rooted in the community where she and her children have grown up.
Meanwhile, Cantwell was selected as the principal who will open the new K-8 school in the Nocatee community of Ponte Vedra. Her incredible service and mission of excellence has made Ocean Palms Elementary a top school in the district, and her work has not gone unnoticed. In fact, for the 2023-24 school year, she was named Principal of the Year for the St. Johns County School District.
Cantwell’s success goes well beyond test scores and other metrics, but is felt within the strong community she has built along the corridors of the school. Tears, hugs and notes from students, both past and present, were prevalent at her farewell as she walked through the school with a clap out, where students, staff and parents lined the halls and carline to say their final goodbyes.
And while she sets off on this new challenge, the foundation she built for every student that attended OPE will forever remain as she charts a path for students at the new school.