NASSP Principal of the Year Network

Connecting State Principals of the Year and NASSP Digital Principals of the Year with meaningful opportunities to engage with each other and with NASSP.

NASSP Principal of the Year Network Facilitators

Upcoming Network Meetings

Tuesday

Jul 16

1:00 pm ET

Principal of the Year Network Meeting

Leadership Networks

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Connect with distinguished education leaders, including Principal of the Year honorees and alumni. Forge powerful connections, discover insights, and shape the future of educational leadership. Don’t miss this transformative gathering. You must be registered for this Leadership Network to attend the meeting. When you join you will receive an email with the monthly meeting link. […]

Wednesday

Jul 17

5:00 pm ET

Aspiring School Leaders Network Meeting

Leadership Networks

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Aspiring school leaders, join us to connect, discuss hot topics, and gain guidance on your path towards educational leadership. Don’t miss the chance to engage with a supportive community dedicated to your growth. You must be registered for this Leadership Network to attend the meeting. When you join you will receive an email with the […]

Thursday

Jul 18

2:00 pm ET

Assistant Principal of the Year Network Meeting

Leadership Networks

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Connect with exceptional educational leaders, including Assistant Principal of the Year honorees and alumni. Exchange insights, foster connections, and make a lasting impact in your role as an assistant principal. You must be registered for this Leadership Network to attend the meeting. When you join you will receive an email with the monthly meeting link. […]

Latest POY News

Roundtable: Leading for Recruitment and Retention

Every March, students and educators alike look forward to the start of spring and the warmer weather, more daylight, and outdoor activities it brings. For principals, the season also signals that hiring is in full swing. To learn how school leaders are handling staffing for next year, Principal Leadership contacted Derek Bellow, the principal of Liberty High School in Las Vegas, NV, and the 2023 Nevada Principal of the Year; Sham Bevel, the principal of Bayside Sixth Grade Campus in Virginia Beach, VA, and the 2023 Virginia Principal of the Year; and Jacob Feldmann, the principal of Western Dubuque High School in Epworth, IA, and the 2023 Iowa Principal of the Year.

Empowering Principals

In “Redefining the Role of the Principal: Innovative Approaches to Empower School Leaders,” the Aspen Institute looks at innovative ways to prepare, support, and develop principals. The institute examined five districts and states that are working to “cultivate positive school climates and deliver rigorous academic experiences for every student.” The examples, collected through research and conversations with district leaders and principals, include…

A Weekend to Celebrate School Leaders—and College Football

The 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship weekend earlier this month in Houston, TX, was the experience of a lifetime. A weekend where educators were celebrated for their distinguished achievements. A weekend of learning, networking, and collaboration with leaders in their field. A weekend that I will never forget.

Wisconsin Principal Named NASSP National Principal of the Year

NASSP announced that Andrew Farley, the principal of Brookfield East High School, in Brookfield, WI, is the 2024 NASSP National Principal of the Year.

National Principal of the Year Alumni Network

NASSP Announces 2024 Principal of the Year Finalists

At the start of National Principals Month, NASSP today named Sham Bevel, Andrew Farley, and Kimberly Winterbottom the 2024 NASSP National Principal of the Year finalists. This annual award recognizes outstanding secondary school principals’ exemplary contributions to their schools, staff, students, and the profession.

National Principal of the Year Alumni Network

Moving From Good to Great This Year

With the start of the school year just around the corner, I want to share a note of encouragement with my colleagues around the country. First off, I want to acknowledge how hard you work in such a difficult job. The responsibilities of a school leader are staggering. In my first several years as an administrator, I had a poster on my wall that showed the exponential increase in school leadership duties from the common school movement to today. It is mind-blowing in its complexity. And yet, we still have the same 168 hours in a week. In 2017, pre-pandemic, the U.S. Department of Education shared an example of “A Day in the Life of a High School Principal” for a glimpse into today’s realities.

National Principal of the Year Alumni Network

Leading From a Place of Yes

I am honored and truly humbled to be named Massachusetts Principal of the Year. As we all know, it is a collective effort to create dynamic learning experiences in schools, and I could not accomplish anything without the incredibly talented educators I work with, who equally deserve this award. As I reflect on this recognition, I want to share how a few pivotal moments during my career have shaped who I am as a leader.

National Principal of the Year Alumni Network

Trailblazing Leadership Week Celebrates Student and School Leaders

NASSP sits at the intersection of student and school leadership. Any progress in our schools must start with those who are a part of them, and the combined effect of these groups working together is greater than each working alone. This power was on full display during NASSP’s Trailblazing Leadership Week, April 22-25, which brought together the State Principals and Assistant Principals of the Year, the National Honor Society Scholarship finalists, and their advisers to recognize their accomplishments and connect with one another in Washington, D.C.

NHS Student Leadership NASSP Principal of the Year Alumni Network

New NASSP Leadership Network for Women

Recently, NASSP launched its first-ever Women in School Leadership Network. The network is designed to create a space for participants to share openly their perspectives and experiences unique to women’s leadership. The network also aims to create time for mentoring, support, growing, and challenging assumptions through the exchange of ideas. As the network co-facilitators, we want to share a bit about ourselves.

NASSP Principal of the Year Alumni Network Women in School Leadership Network

Support, Coach, and Sustain to Recruit and Retain

When I became a school administrator over 15 years ago, the applicant pool for filling certified teaching vacancies was deep, if not overflowing. It was not uncommon to receive ten or more quality résumés from which to select worthy candidates. Two and possibly three rounds of interviews might ensue to select the best person for the open position.

NASSP Principal of the Year Alumni Network

Leading with Love

In January, Robert Motley, Gregg Wieczorek, and I represented NASSP on the 2023 Lifetouch Memory Mission. We joined a team of 40 volunteers to travel to Guatemala, where we partnered with Hug It Forward, an organization that helps communities in Latin America build schools using sustainable resources (like plastic bottles). I was thrilled to be part of the trip and looked forward to giving back and doing my part to help make the world better. Little did I know this trip would be life-changing.

NASSP Principal of the Year Alumni Network

How School Celebrations Can Boost Staff Morale

When NASSP 2021 Digital Principal of the Year Cindy Sholtys-Cromwell presented on creative ways to hold staff celebrations at a state conference in 2019, she was shocked by the level of interest she received from fellow school leaders.

NASSP Principal of the Year Alumni Network

Promoting Kindness and Preventing Bullying in Middle School

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and I want to share how I have worked hard over the years to promote kindness in school. It started about 15 years ago, when I first became principal of Colony Middle School in Palmer, AK. At the time, it was pretty apparent that we needed to work on our school culture. One thing we focused on was our staff beliefs; we wanted to make sure they were aligned with how we work with students and our belief in what they were capable of achieving.

NASSP Principal of the Year Alumni Network

Social Media Is Essential for Communicating with Students

I have always thought of social media as a place for schools to post school information and archive great memories of student achievement and activities. Like many districts, in recent years, my district has received online threats, and inaccurate information has spread on social media about things allegedly happening in our buildings. Sadly, I have also seen unfounded rumors and falsehoods posted online. On social media, are we guilty until proven innocent? I have spent countless hours responding to posts that have distracted me from the work of supporting the instructional programs in schools. In order to change the narrative on social media for my buildings, I must rethink how we can use social media in our schools positively—as it was intended.

National Principal of the Year Alumni Network