Mrs. Felicia A. Bessent is the principal of Edward Harris, Jr. Middle School and has been an administrator for 11 years. She is the former principal of Samuel Jackman Middle School in Elk Grove Unified School District and former vice-principal of Valley High and Laguna Creek High School. Mrs. Bessent, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, is a graduate of University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Music degree in music education and a minor in music therapy. She also has a Master of Arts in Education – Special Education from California State University, Sacramento. Furthering graduate studies, she attended at University of Virginia and University of Hawaii. She received a professional administrative service credential from LaVerne University. |
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Prior to becoming an administrator, Mrs. Bessent taught for 18 years general and choral music, special education, elementary education, and mathematics in Georgia, Virginia, Hawaii, Arizona, and California. In 1991, Mrs. Bessent was named Teacher of the Year for Elk Grove Unified School District, Sacramento County, and a finalist for the state of California. She also received California State University, Sacramento Distinguished Service Award and the Milken Family Foundation prestigious National Educator Award which came with a $25,000 stipend to support her teaching pursuits. Other rewards she has received are Who's Who Among America's Teachers, 1994 edition and Distinguished Service Award, California State University, Sacramento, 1992. Most recently, Mrs. Bessent received the 2004 Distinguished Educator's Award for outstanding leadership and contributions to the development of aspiring young minds, presented by the Sacramento Observer Media Group.
In addition to being a principal, Mrs. Bessent is active in the community and affiliated with various educational organizations. Under the Elk Grove Unified School District, she mentors new principals as a Leadership Peer Coach and is a member of the Curriculum Steering Committee, Peer Assisted Review Committee, Teacher Recruitment Committee, and an adjunct professor at San Francisco State University teaching a course titled Urban Secondary Education. She is also a member of Association of California School Administrators, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, California League of Middle Schools, Elk Grove Alliance of Black Educators, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and St. Paul Baptist Church.
Mrs. Bessent has been married to Oscar W. Bessent for 27 years. They have two children. Shedrick is an electrical engineer at NASA and Carmen is a senior nursing major at Tennessee State University. |
