“Game-changers” are how the three finalists for secondary school Principal of the Year are being described by their colleagues. The school leaders from Maryland, Virginia and Wisconsin were recognized by the National Association of Secondary School Principals for their transformational commitment to “equity and excellence,” says Ronn Nozoe, the organization’s CEO.
“By intertwining innovative mental wellness initiatives with academic rigor, they’ve reshaped what education means for their kids, ensuring that every student is not only academically challenged but emotionally nurtured,” Nozoe said in a statement. “Their accomplishments have set the gold standard for what a 21st-century education can and should be.”
Here is a little more from the NASSP about the Principal of the Year finalists:
Sham Bevel, Bayside Sixth Grade Campus, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Bevel began her career in 2006 as a middle school science teacher in Norfolk, Virginia. She moved into leadership roles as the science department chair and data team leader and was recognized as one of the most esteemed science instructional coaches in the nation. She then taught sixth-grade math and science in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, returning to Virginia in 2015 to serve as a secondary science specialist. She then became an assistant principal and rose to her current position as the principal of Bayside Sixth Grade Campus, which is part of Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
As principal, Bevel has integrated comprehensive literacy skills across subjects and diversified her math team’s teaching strategies, leading to dramatic improvements in her state’s exam scores and earning the distinction as a 2023 National ESEA Distinguished Award recipient.
Andrew Farley, Brookfield East High School, Brookfield, Wisconsin
During Farley’s decade as principal, Brookfield East High School has been named Wisconsin’s top public high school for four consecutive years and was recently recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence for Exemplary Achievement in Gap Closing.
Farley has centered the school culture on academic and human excellence. Brookfield East’s Hope Squad, the first in Wisconsin, has developed student wellness ambassadors who serve the school, community and region. Farley has also given students access to rigorous, capstone educational experiences. A remarkable 99% of the class of 2022 took at least one college-credit-bearing course prior to graduation.
A commitment to literacy instruction has propelled students to an ACT composite of 23.5 for the class of 2023, including 24.1 in reading. Brookfield East’s Advanced Placement program offered over 1,200 AP tests to approximately 600 students at the school, which is part of the Elmbrook School District in the Milwaukee suburbs.
Kimberly Winterbottom, Marley Middle School, Glen Burnie, Maryland
Winterbottom, who has been the school’s principal for nearly a decade, stands out for her transformative leadership. She has revolutionized structures, culture and strategies to elevate teaching proficiency, boost student outcomes and narrow achievement disparities.
When Winterbottom arrived at Marley, which is part of Anne Arundel County Public Schools, her students were the lowest performing among the district’s 19 middle schools. Thanks to Winterbottom’s emphasis on collaboration and evidence-based practices, Marley’s students have outperformed 16 of the middle schools in district math assessments. Sixth-grade students’ scores in language arts grew from 14.6% proficient and advanced to 40.2%.
Winterbottom’s “unwavering focus” on safety and inclusion also drove the turnaround at Marley, which has seen behavior referrals drop by more than half.
The NASSP is also recognizing the principals of the year from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Department of State Office of Overseas Schools and the Department of Defense education system.
