AWSP Blog

Jessica Buchan, assistant principal at Renton High School in the Renton School District, was named this year’s Washington State Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year. Buchan will also be recognized at the national level by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), where she will compete with winners from other states for the NASSP’s National Assistant Principal of the Year award, announced in early April.

Deborah Henderson, assistant principal at Frank Wagner Elementary School in the Monroe School District, was named the 2023 Washington State Elementary Assistant Principal of the Year. In addition, she will represent Washington as our state’s winner of the National Association of Elementary School Principals National (NAESP) Outstanding Assistant Principal award. The NAESP recognizes one winner from each state every year.

If you’re reading this and you know a phenomenal leader, please take a minute and nominate an incredible school leader for Principal of the Year or Assistant Principal of the Year. And if you are nominated, I promise it’s worth your time to apply. The program is so much more than just the prestige of winning an award — it’s a source of pride and celebration for your staff, students, district, and community. It was also a life-changing experience for me. You’ll find the letter I wrote to AWSP below. Not only will you see an experience of a lifetime, but I’ve come back a better leader for my school because of it.

It’s a great time to honor the enormous contributions assistant principals make to student success. The many roles of the assistant, associate, and vice-principals have expanded and evolved as a result of a pandemic, remote learning, and all sorts of safety and health considerations most of us never even imagined. Through it all, our assistant principals have demonstrated unwavering leadership. At AWSP, we will continue to highlight the crucial role APs play, advocate for increased funding to provide more APs, and normalize making the assistant principal role not just a stepping stone on the way to the principalship, but a role worthy of respect, praise, and appreciation for those who find the role to be perfect for them.

AWSP is looking for an amazing elementary principal to be the National Association of Elementary School Principals’ (NAESP) National Outstanding Assistant Principal honoree from our state. This program promotes excellence in educational leadership and calls attention to the fundamental importance of the assistant principal.