AWSP Blog

February is AWSP Member Engagement Month! Each week this month, we're highlighting opportunities for members like you to get more involved with your professional association. This week we want to call special attention to our Principal and Assistant Principal of the Year Award program.

Dana Stiner, principal at Pine Tree Elementary School in the Kent School District, was named this year’s Washington State Elementary Principal of the Year. Stiner will also be recognized at the national level by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). She will be recognized with winners from other states as one of NAESP’s National Distinguished Principals.

Shannon Leatherwood, principal at Spanaway Middle School in the Bethel School District, was named this year’s Washington State Secondary Principal of the Year. Leatherwood will also be recognized at the national level by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). She will compete with winners from other states for the NASSP National Principal of the Year award.

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.

Comfortable in her role as an assistant principal, Dickert embodies the ‘bloom where you are planted’ adage. "She effectively accomplishes all the essential duties of a strong instructional leader with grace and humor, and in every interaction communicates her desire and vision for a better future for all,” said Mill Creek Principal Brenda Fuglevand about Dickert. “She maintains an artful balance of attention to high academic standards, respectful and personable interactions, humor, positive presuppositions, and an unwavering focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.”