Michelle Scott wants families arriving at Oscar Adams Elementary School to notice a welcome before anything else: a smile for a child, a sense of partnership for a parent and adults who connect academic expectations with care.

“I want Oscar Adams to be a place where every child is greeted with a smile, every family feels like a valued partner, and every staff member is committed to ensuring students experience both academic excellence and genuine care.” Scott described that vision in written answers to The ALEdTribune.

Scott became principal this summer through an appointment recorded by the Gadsden City Board of Education. The school's administration directory lists her in the role. She follows Ali Sullivan, whose transfer from Adams principal to Litchfield Middle assistant principal appears in the board's earlier personnel recommendations.

The most recent published Alabama enrollment report places the school at 413 students in 2025-26, last school year. The school reports no pre-K students, and the count describes Adams before Scott's principalship. It provides a starting point for understanding the school she has joined, rather than a measure of her leadership.

A foundation in the early years

Scott said the opportunity to join Adams appealed to her because of its history, community pride and potential. She described seeing dedicated educators, supportive families and children deserving opportunities to thrive. Her intention is to build on those strengths through collaboration with staff, families and the wider community.

“My background in early childhood education has shaped every aspect of my leadership.” For Scott, the early years inform how a principal approaches children across an elementary school, including their academic, social and emotional needs.

The board's appointment record lists certifications in instructional leadership, early childhood education and early childhood special education. Those credentials align with the emphasis she places on establishing a strong foundation for learning.

Scott said her responsibility is to meet children where they are and help them grow. She connects that approach with classrooms where students are engaged and learning is rigorous, meaningful and joyful. Teachers feeling supported and families knowing their voices matter are part of the same vision, in her account.

The published grade counts give that work a concrete setting. Last school year's report lists 70 kindergarten students and 61 fifth graders, with children reported throughout the elementary grades in between. These are separate grade groups, not a forecast of how a class will change as it moves through school.

The individually reported grade counts add to 413, the same as the published school total, so no part of the total is left unassigned.

Language and family partnership

Scott also identifies English learner support as central to the school culture she wants to build. Her emphasis is on students receiving instructional help while feeling included and celebrated, with families participating in that work.

“Every language and every culture represented at Oscar Adams is an asset that enriches our school community.” Her proposed approach includes partnering closely with families and providing teachers with resources and professional learning, so that language differences are embraced as strengths.

The state's separately published English learner figures end earlier than the enrollment report. In 2024-25, Adams reported 135 English learners against a published school total of 408 students, or 33.1%. Both figures cover the same elementary grade span and exclude pre-K. This older snapshot helps explain the relevance of Scott's priority; it does not establish the school's English learner share last school year or in the current school year.

Scott's description places family partnership alongside instructional support. She wants parents to feel valued when they enter the school and to know their voices matter in children's education. In her account, a welcoming atmosphere and strong relationships accompany high expectations for achievement.

Adams within Gadsden City

Adams accounted for 8.3% of Gadsden City^↗ET's published district total of 4,990 students in 2025-26. The school and district figures use the same reporting year, but the district total includes 101 pre-K students at five other schools, while Adams reports none, so the share is a guide to scale rather than a like-for-like comparison.

Earlier years come from a different state report, the Report Card counts, which also handle pre-K differently. Setting those figures beside last school year's fall attendance count would mix two measures, so the 2025-26 snapshot is the useful context here. It shows the scale of Adams within the district while Scott's own answers explain the relationships and classroom experiences she wants to shape.

“Ultimately, I want Oscar Adams Elementary to be known as a school where every child belongs, every educator is empowered, and every family feels connected.” That statement brings together her priorities for students, staff and parents.

Scott describes success in terms that extend beyond test scores: relationships, students' confidence and opportunities that last beyond elementary school. Her stated goal is to work alongside the Gadsden community in a school where excellence is expected and children have the opportunity to succeed. The welcome she hopes families notice at the door is the starting point for that broader commitment.

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