Top Principal and Assistant Principal Announced at Commissioner of Education's Summit
Monday, February 23, 2015
DOE Press Office
850-245-0413
Top Principal and Assistant Principal Announced at Commissioner of Education’s Summit
Tallahassee, Fla., February 23, 2015 – Today, Dr. Angela Murphy-Osborne from Palmetto Elementary School in the Orange County School District was named the 2015 winner of the Principal Achievement Award for Outstanding Leadership at an awards luncheon during the Commissioner’s Summit for Principals. In addition, Dustin Sims of Flagler Palm Coast High School (FPCH) in the Flagler County School District was honored with the Outstanding Assistant Principal Achievement Award. The awards recognize outstanding school leaders who have increased student performance, promoted safe learning environments and established successful partnerships with parents and community members.
Education Commissioner Pam Stewart said, “I am honored to recognize these school leaders. They are shining examples of what it means to make students and the quality of education provided at their schools a top priority. These outstanding principals and assistant principals are models of exceptional leadership, and possess the vision and motivation necessary to provide an outstanding education in Florida schools.”
Dr. Murphy-Osborne is committed to ensuring all students achieve success. She not only believes that demographics should not be an indicator of destiny, she puts it into practice. As a result, her teachers feel fulfilled and her students have experienced significant academic improvements. Due to Dr. Murphy-Osborne’s leadership, the school is the only elementary school in Florida to turn around from an F to an A school in 2013-2014.
Dustin Sims’s primary responsibility is to lead Flagler Palm Coast High School (FPCH) on matters of curriculum, but he has gone above and beyond by also leading monitoring to ensure students make academic progress. By providing teachers and students the appropriate support and incentivizing students to achieve more, he has created a strong and successful school culture at FPCH. During his time in this role, the school’s grade has increased from a D to an A, and was named one of the top high schools in the nation by US News and World Report two years in a row.
The recipient of the 2015 Principal of the Year was awarded a cash prize of $5,000 and an exclusive overnight stay at the Cinderella Castle Suite inside the Magic Kingdom Park, along with theme park admission for the winner and his or her guests provided by Disney Youth Programs. The Assistant Principal of the Year received a cash prize of $2,500 and a weekend resort stay at the Walt Disney World Resort and theme park admission, also courtesy of Disney Youth Programs.
Candidates for these awards were nominated by the superintendent from their respective school district. The Principal Achievement Award for Outstanding Leadership was established in 1988 to recognize Florida principals for their contributions to their schools and communities. The Outstanding Assistant Principal Achievement Award was established in 1997 to honor assistant principals that have utilized teamwork and leadership to increase student achievement and greatly improved school environments.
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