AWSP Blog

School employees that are mentally healthy are our most valuable resource for creating safe and supportive learning environments. Creating a culture of health and well-being is critical at this time.

Happy New School Year, friends!! I have been honored over the last several months to have met so many principals throughout our country. To those of you joining this newsletter after the NASSP #Ignite Conference in Denver--Welcome!!! If you are a regular subscriber, thank you for continuing to be a part of my work!! Most of us are just beginning our school year this August, and it is my hope you will find this School Celebration Newsletter Edition helpful as you begin to plan. I have included a list of some of my favorite August days along with simple suggestions for celebrations that you can EASILY incorporate into the beginning of the school year. I wish you a successful start this new year. Be well, and as always, let me know how I can support your educational journey. Cindy

House Bill 1426 passed in 2021 and it requires that administrators who renew their administrator certificate on or after July 1, 2023 must complete a five-hour Government-to-Government Relationships Training. Administrators also need to complete 10 clock hours related to leadership standards and 10 clock hours related to equity before renewing their certificates.

The Association of Washington School Principals is honored to present AWSP member and friend Carlos Gonzalez as the second-ever Annalee Braley Membership Award winner. Carlos is the principal at McFarland Middle School in the Othello School District. The Annalee Braley Membership Award was created in 2022 to honor the memory of former AWSP Membership Coordinator Annalee Braley, who passed away tragically and unexpectedly in September 2021. Annalee started at AWSP when she was just 19 years old and was about to cross over to 32 years of service at AWSP in various roles. Annalee was one of the biggest reasons AWSP has the strongest membership in the country year after year.

Each year, AWSP’s Advocacy Advisory Council has the opportunity to select a state-level public servant who has demonstrated support of principals and the principalship in the education of all students. For 2023, the Council selected Representative Monica Stonier as AWSP’s Torch of Leadership Award winner. Representative Stonier currently serves as the House Majority Floor Leader and leads her caucus on several key issues like labor and workers’ rights, public education, health care access for children, financial literacy education, and portable benefits for Washington workers of our future. She serves on the House Appropriations, Education, Health Care & Wellness, and Rules Committees and is the first person of color to serve in 17th and the 49th legislative districts in Clark County.