Melissa Lime is honored to serve as the newly appointed Principal of Sebastian Middle School. As a proud St. Augustine native, St. Augustine High School graduate, and former Eagle, she is deeply rooted in the community that helped shape her values and commitment to education. Returning to Sebastian as principal is both a full-circle moment and a profound honor, allowing her to lead the school that played such an important role in her own journey and to inspire the next generation of Eagles to learn, lead, and soar.

With more than 22 years of experience in K–12 education, she has dedicated her career to serving students, families, and educators throughout the St. Johns County School District. Her professional experience includes roles as a seventh-grade Language Arts teacher, Instructional Literacy Coach, International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme Coordinator, Curriculum Coordinator, Assistant Principal, and Principal. Prior to joining Sebastian Middle School, Mrs. Lime served as Principal of Freedom Crossing Academy, where she led a nationally recognized school known for its strong culture, student leadership, and academic excellence. During her tenure, the school earned recognition as a Solution Tree PLC Model School, National Showcase Capturing Kids’ Hearts Model School, Florida PBIS Model School, Character Counts! Exemplary School, Florida Purple Star School of Distinction, and consistently maintained an A school grade. In 2021, Mrs. Lime was named the St. Johns County School District Outstanding Assistant Principal of the Year in recognition of her leadership and commitment to student success.

As Principal of Sebastian Middle School, Mrs. Lime is committed to building upon the school’s strong tradition of excellence while expanding opportunities in STEAM education, student leadership, innovation, and real-world learning experiences. She is dedicated to creating a positive learning environment where every Eagle feels a strong sense of belonging and is inspired to SOAR academically, artistically, and through extracurricular opportunities. Her vision is to cultivate curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking while preparing students to become confident, future-ready leaders, and life-long learners.

Beyond the school setting, Mrs. Lime is actively engaged in the community and has served on local advisory boards, including the Advisory Board for THE PLAYERS Championship Boys & Girls Club of St. Augustine. In 2019, she was recognized as one of St. Augustine’s “40 Under Forty” young professionals for her leadership and community service. She is also a proud alumna of Leadership St. Johns (Class of 2022), Leadership Florida Education Class 8 (2024) and recently served as the Chair of the Leadership Florida Northeast Florida Region Council. 

Mrs. Lime is proud to serve the students, families, and staff of Sebastian Middle School and believes that when we work together—as one Eagle community—there is no limit to how high our students can soar.