Saipan Tribune

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

PSS joins National Principals' Month celebration

The CNMI Public School System joined this month's celebration of National Principals Month where teachers, students, parents, and stakeholders are encouraged to join public schools in honoring the hard work and dedication of school administrators especially in this time of challenges.

Education Commissioner Rita A. Sablan, Ed.D, said yesterday the weeklong occasion will give everyone an opportunity to say “thank you” to school principals who play a pivotal role in the progress of each student.

“I just received a message that this month is National School Principal’s Month. This came up to me as a surprise but I certainly want to give honor and recognition to our many principals that work beyond the call of duty. With the little resources that we have to give as an incentive, I am sure that their recognition is worth the prize,” Sablan told Saipan Tribune yesterday.

Sablan and her leadership team, throughout the month, will visit each school cluster to honor individual school leaders and to participate in the activities planned for them by their teachers, students, parents, and community members.

PSS has formed five cluster schools in an effort to maximize and leverage the limited resources of the school system. These clusters include Northeast, Central, South, Tinian, and Rota schools.

Sablan disclosed that PSS is also planning to select a CNMI Principal of the Year next year who will officially represent the Commonwealth public schools and compete in national competitions in the future. For many years, the islands' teacher of the year has been participating at the national level, the same direction that the PSS chief wants for the islands' best principal awardee.

To recognize the essential role that principals play in preparing today’s students for the challenges of tomorrow, the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the National Association of Elementary School Principals have declared October 2012 as National Principals Month. Each year these organizations pay tribute to outstanding elementary and middle-level administrators from across the nation during the annual National Distinguished Principals program.

“Principals are among the hardest working yet often least recognized individuals in education. Principals set the academic tone for their schools, and it is their vision, dedication and determination that provide the mobilizing force behind any school reform effort. National Principals Month seeks to honor these unsung heroes for their tireless efforts in pursuit of excellence in education,” the organization stated on its website.