Dr. Jennifer Chastain will be the new principal at Bridle Ridge Elementary School, effective in July. The Ray-Pec School Board approved the hiring at its Feb. 9 meeting.
Dr. Chastain has worked for Nixa Public Schools since 2004. She is currently the principal at John Thomas School of Discovery, a STEAM elementary school. She has held that position since August 2015. Previously, she was the principal at Century Elementary School, assistant principal at Espy and Mathews Elementary School, and 5th and 6th grade teacher at Inman Intermediate School.
Earlier, she taught grades 5-8 for Springfield Catholic Schools.
Dr. Chastain said she is honored to be selected to serve as Bridle Ridge Principal.
“I look forward to meeting everyone and building strong relationships with the educators, students and families of Bridle Ridge," she said. "I cannot wait to join the Ray-Pec community!”
Dr. Al Voelker, Assistant Superintendent for Academic Services, said Dr. Chastain's qualifications make her well-suited for the role of leading Bridle Ridge.
“Dr. Chastain is an incredibly experienced principal and we are very excited she will be joining our team," Dr. Voelker said. "As a principal in the Nixa School District, she has been a successful school leader and is an innovator in the field of education”.
Dr. Chastain earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Drury University. She earned a master’s degree in administration from William Woods University, and received her education specialist and doctorate degrees from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar.
She will replace Dr. Missy Mattingly, who is resigning at the end of 2022-2023 school year to accept another position in the District.
Dr. Chastain's husband, Josh, will be the new superintendent for the Harrisonville School District. They have three daughters who reside in Springfield. Ashley is an architectural designer for Sapp Architects; Catherine is married to Connor Matthews and is in graduate school at Missouri State University, and Aubrey will begin studies in the fall at Missouri State University to pursue a career in elementary education.