Kristen O’Shea to serve as assistant principal of Kenwood Elementary

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. — Kristen O’Shea, a longtime teacher at Kenwood Elementary School in Fort Walton Beach, has been appointed the school’s next assistant principal.

O’Shea, a resident of Niceville, grew up in Okaloosa County and attended Destin Elementary School, Bruner Middle School, and Fort Walton Beach High School.

She later graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. After teaching in Alabama for a few years, O’Shea returned to her hometown and began teaching at Kenwood Elementary School.

O’Shea has taught first through fifth grades, gifted classes, and computer programing. She has served Okaloosa County as an English Language Arts (ELA) Instructional Coach for over 14 years and has worked on numerous committees helping to create resources for teachers across the county, the Okaloosa County School District (OCSD) said.

She has also presented professional development locally, at the state level, and at national conferences.

In 2016, O’Shea was honored by her peers and received the ELA Instructional Coach of the Year award. In addition to earning her reading endorsement and gifted endorsement, she graduated with honors with a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the American College of Education in 2019, the OCSD said.

O’Shea and her husband Sean serve the Niceville community through various charitable organizations. Their two sons, Cameron and Danny, attended schools in Okaloosa County. Their daughter, Kennedy, begins Ruckel Middle School this fall.

O’Shea said she is excited to take this next step in her career at Kenwood Elementary and looks forward to learning alongside the faculty and staff and supporting the Kenwood Bulldogs.