Baxter Elementary Begins New School Year With New Principal

Baxter Elementary started the new school year this week with a new principal. Dr. Tammy Stellmach joined the staff after serving in public education for over 29 years.

Stellmach was previously a middle school assistant principal and served as assistant principal at Riverside Elementary in the Brainerd School District. She has coached volleyball, basketball, track, and softball and has been involved with various mentor and service programs.

“I am very excited to be at Baxter Elementary School this school year, and I’m excited because the staff are amazing and the staff are excited, and I just look forward to all of the opportunities that we have to offer the students and our family,” said Stellmach. “And the staff again here have been absolutely amazing and I couldn’t be happier to be here.”

The staff at Baxter Elementary is looking forward to a good school year as well as some new programs they have planned. This year, the elementary school is focusing on kindness, and with that, they are implementing a new initiative called the “Baxter Kindness Project.” They are kicking off the program school-wide on October 1st.

“Our staff development team started it last spring and we’ve been working on it this summer, and we’re going to focus on three main areas which are unity, random acts of kindness, and gratitude. So each trimester will be focusing in on those, doing fun monthly projects with staff and students, and I think the kids are going to enjoy it and I’m excited about it, too,” said Baxter Elementary second grade teacher Heather Bender.

The school welcomed around 525 students back to school on the first day of the fall session last Tuesday.