AWSP Blog

Principals carry this burden of school-wide hope, but if they are lucky, they are not alone. While principals set the tone for the entire school, there is another group who are quite often working on hope from a completely different angle—our assistant principals. These unsung heroes are a direct line of hope to some of our most hopeless students. Our assistant principals have the opportunity to reach many of our students who don’t feel loved (at school or at home), who don’t have any sense of belonging in their lives, and far too often lack any vision of life in the future, yet alone where they might get their next meal.

With Black History Month here, you may ask, "What does this mean for me?" In our daily lives, many of us may not know how to best honor, acknowledge, or celebrate cultures, whether our own or somebody else's.

There are so many great things about this special month that make it special. February is the month of love, a new grading term for some, my daughter's birthday, and IT is finally starting to stay light a bit longer on my drive home. (YAHOO to all of them). February is a time for magical learning in the classroom when our students begin to hit their stride and "get it". Our seniors are coming to the realization that graduation is around the corner. All of our hard work IS paying off and we see the fruits of our labor.

As we usher in February, we are thrilled to announce the launch of our Member Engagement Month – a month-long campaign dedicated to fostering connection, amplifying your voices, and providing you with exciting opportunities to shape the future of education for principals and assistant principals across the state. At AWSP, we believe that an engaged and active membership is the heartbeat of our professional association. It is your passion, dedication, and insights that drive positive change in the educational landscape. That's why we're rolling out a series of initiatives, blog posts, and weekly emails throughout the month to help you make the most of your membership.

North Pines Middle School is a beautiful, state-of-the-art building located in the heart of Spokane Valley. When you enter the facilities, it seems like any middle school in Washington State. It is abuzz with students and typical boisterous middle school activity - staff greeting students at the door, students greeting one another, and staff urging students to get to class. Then, the bell and quiet set in, and the learning starts. There are so many layers to the work happening in our schools across the state to set the learning conditions for our students. North Pines is one of the most diverse schools in the Central Valley School district, and they have taken their job to provide equitable, rigorous learning opportunities for their students seriously.