CULLMAN, Ala. – East Elementary School Principal Melanie Harris recently made a stop in Montgomery to celebrate National Principals Month with Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and other top education officials in the state.
“As the Alabama Elementary School Assistant Principal of the Year, I was invited to represent Alabama Principals as Governor Ivey proclaimed October as National Principals Month,” Harris explained. “I felt honored to stand alongside other leaders (including the elementary principal of the year, secondary assistant principal and principal of the year, and CLAS officials) and represent the great Alabama administrators.”
Before coming to East Elementary as the school’s new principal, Harris was named the state’s top assistant principal in her previous post, which is why she was invited to Montgomery by the governor’s office to be honored.
“Whereas the vision, dedication and determination of a principal provides a motivating force behind any school reform effort; and whereas principals are expected to be educational visionary leaders, instructional leaders, assessment experts, disciplinarians, community builders, public relations experts, budget analysts, facility managers, special program iterators and guardians of various legal, contractual and policy mandates and initiatives, as well as being entrusted with our young people, our most valuable asset,” Ivey wrote in a proclamation celebrating National Principals Month.
“And whereas, principals set the academic tone for their schools and work, collaboratively with teachers to develop and maintain rigorous academic and curricular goals, develop mission statements and set performance goals and objectives for schools to achieve educational excellence; and whereas, principals work tirelessly in communities across Alabama to maintain academic integrity and accountability, to ensure a safe and productive learning environment and to encourage and facilitate teachers and parents efforts to make a positive difference in the lives of young people; and whereas, in celebration of National Principals Month, Alabama honors elementary, middle, and high school principals and recognizes the importance of school leadership in ensuring that every child has access to a high-quality education; and whereas, Alabama recognizes outstanding elementary, middle and high school principals who have succeeded in providing high-quality learning opportunities for students, as well as their exemplary contributions to the profession.”
