Matt Madding is the new principal at Farmington Elementary School. The school’s site-based decision-making council selected him in a meeting early Wednesday morning, June 8. A large number of the school’s faculty and staff attended the meeting at the district’s central office.

A 2002 graduate of Graves County High School, Madding has taught math there since 2006. This past school year, he chaired the math department, served on the district instructional leadership team, and was the district representative in the Kentucky Mathematics Network. He has been the Graves County elementary schools’ little league football coordinator since 2006.

Madding earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics for secondary education in 2006 from the University of Kentucky. He earned a Master of Arts degree in secondary education at Murray State University in 2008 and completed the Level I Program of Studies in principal preparation at Northern Kentucky University this past May. His Rank I diploma in principal preparation is pending this December at NKU.

“During our selection process, we were impressed with several worthy candidates,” said teacher Debbie Jones, chairperson of the council that selected the new principal. “Our SBDM council believes that Mr. Madding is the best fit for Farmington. We are very excited to have him lead our team.”

“Matt Madding has achieved and contributed a great deal since coming to work in the Graves County Schools,” said Assistant Superintendent/elementary instructional supervisor Kim Harrison. “He clearly is very goal-oriented, loves kids, and understands that their education is crucial to their success as adults. I look forward to the great things I know he’ll do as instructional leader of an already great school!”

 “As a product of the Graves County School system, I understand the great opportunity it is to serve in any capacity within this district, much more to serve as a building leader,” Madding said. “The principal job at Farmington interested me because it provided the opportunity for me to serve in a greater capacity than I currently do. Also, Farmington is already a high-achieving school and the challenge of maintaining and building upon that success greatly interested me.

“My job will be to provide our teachers with whatever assistance they need in order to educate each Wildcat student in such a way that they can be successful both now and in the future,” he continued. “Our academics must also be intertwined with character development to help each student reach their fullest potential.”

Madding’s wife, Allison, is a special education resource teacher at Graves County High School. They have a son, Nathan, who is 2 years old.

Farmington Elementary consistently has ranked among the top schools in Kentucky academics. In 2007, it was honored as one of only 11 Kentucky schools and one of only 287 schools in the United States as a No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon School.

Madding replaces Denise Whitaker, who served as principal the past nine years. She recently was named principal at Murray Elementary School.