The Academy at Opry Mills will have a new look and a new principal when it officially re-opens this fall. William Fellman has been tapped to lead the school that was forced to temporarily close after the May 2010 Flood.

Fellman, currently principal at Jere Baxter Alternative Learning Center, has been with the district for 22 years. During his time with Metro Schools, Fellman also served as assistant principal at Head Magnet Middle and resource teacher at Pearl-Cohn High, now an entertainment magnet high school.

“I am excited and honored to serve as the new principal of the Academy at Opry Mills,” says Fellman. “This is an opportunity for me to help students reach their high school graduation and go on to higher education. I look forward to the successes and challenges ahead and working with a great staff to help the students achieve their goals.”

Fellman is a native of Nashville where he graduated from DuPont High School. He later received his bachelor’s degree from Tennessee State University and master’s from Trevecca Nazarene University. For more than 26 years, Fellman has worked as a TSSAA official for football and basketball state games and championships. Beside his educational obligations, Fellman serves on the Waterford Homeowners Association Board of Directors, and the Middle Tennessee Football and Middle Tennessee Basketball Officials Associations. He has been married to his wife Nancy for 26 years and they have three daughters, Kayla, Kelly and Kathy.

When it re-opens, the Academy at Opry Mills will join the Academy at Old Cockrill and the Academy at Hickory Hollow as non-traditional schools that offer high school diplomas to people aged 17-21 with at least 14 high school credits. The schools provide a rigorous, accelerated curriculum to students who are serious about earning diplomas. The original Academy at Opry Mills was relocated to Hickory Hollow after the May 2010 flood inundated Opry Mills. The Academy at Hickory Hollow and the Academy at Opry Mills are Simon Youth Academies developed in concert with the Simon Youth Foundation.

Apply to the Academy at Opry Mills today!