AWSP
WEB_HEADER_NEW_POY

Washington State Principal of the Year Awards


AWSP is a K-12 organization, and we recognize two winners, one elementary and one secondary principal, as our Washington State Principals of the Year. The elementary winner will represent Washington as our NAESP National Distinguished Principal award winner, and the secondary principal will represent Washington for the NASSP Principal of the Year award.

2024 Winners


2024 Washington State Elementary Principal of the Year

Cathy Sork headshot

Dr. Cathy Sork
Dorothy Fox Elementary
Camas School District 

Dr. Cathy Sork, principal at Dorothy Fox Elementary School in the Camas School District, was named the 2024 Washington State Elementary Principal of the Year. Sork will also be recognized nationally by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), with winners from other states as one of NAESPs National Distinguished Principals.

Sork has been principal for seventeen years at Dorothy Fox, with a total of twenty-four years in educational leadership. One of the best parts of her job is she gets “to have relationships with students and help them to grow, laugh, stretch, and move toward a bright future.” Colleague and mentee of Sork’s, Kristie Wall, believes she “embodies the best of our profession, modeling student-first leadership”, and it is clear she is highly thought of by her staff as they gasped in awe as they heard she had won this award.

Next fall, Sork will be honored in Washington, D.C. as part of the National Distinguished Principal of the Year program, sponsored by NAESP in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education. All state winners participate in a series of events and activities over the course of two days, culminating in a formal awards banquet. There is no national winner at the elementary level.  

2024 Washington State Secondary Principal of the Year

NHHS+William+Jackson_WEBSITE

Dr. William Jackson
Nathan Hale High School
Seattle PS

Dr. William Jackson, principal at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle Public Schools, was named this year’s Washington State Secondary Principal of the Year. Jackson will be recognized by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and will compete for the NASSP’s National Principal of the Year award.

Dr. Jackson has been a school leader for seven years and leads with his strong belief that “honoring the brilliance of [his] students by centering their voice in [the] curricular and school design is the justice-centered approach that leads to high engagement in learning, and strong academic outcomes.” He is highly respected in his school, district, and community.  He received a record-breaking number of nominations, which included phrases like “transformational leadership”, “connector of people”, “Loved and admired”, and “deserves to be recognized with this great honor.” His supervisor, Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools, Dr. Brent Jones, affirmed Jackson “has a clear vision of how to systemically build climate for equity, justice, and academic outcomes” and that he leads with humbleness, intentionality, and steadfastness resulting in “bold outcomes.” 

Dr. Jackson will be recognized and celebrated in Washington D.C., in October 2024.


2025 POY Nominations

Process

  • Application opens
  • AWSP checks eligibility of each nominee and communicates with each about their nomination.
  • Eligible nominees are sent an application to complete.
  • AWSP Selection Committee scores applications and makes selections
  • Winners/Districts are notified
  • State winners complete an application for the National Associations' awards and are honored at their respective events.

Timelines

  • Nominations open in February. ANYONE can nominate!
  • We will accept nominations through mid-April.
  • Our Washington State Secondary Principal of the Year winner will complete their application for the NASSP National Principal of the Year by May.
  • Our Washington State Elementary Principal of the Year winner will complete their application for the NAESP National Distinguished Principal by May.

Nominate Now

National Recognition

For national recognition, our Elementary Principal of the Year winner will represent Washington State for the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) National Distinguished Principal award, and our Secondary Principal of the Year for the National Association of Secondary School Principal (NASSP) Principal of the Year award. 

National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP)

  • One principal will represent Washington for NAESP's National Distinguished Principal Program (NDP).
  • NAESP honors principals from around the country and does not select a national winner. 
  • Winners are recognized in Washington, D.C. in October.

National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)

  • One principal will represent Washington for NASSP's National Principal of the Year (NPOY).
  • NASSP selects one national winner from the state representatives.
  • State representatives are honored at the National Principals Institute in Washington, D.C., in October.

Assistant Principal of the Year and Past POY Winners


Assistant Principal of the Year

Learn more about our state and national assistant principal recognitions.

Past POY Winners

Check out our list of past winners.