District Five assistant principal named a finalist for national award
February 25, 2015
IRMO, SC – Dutch Fork High School Assistant Principal for Instruction Sarah Longshore has been named a finalist for a National Assistant Principal of the Year award.
Pictured: Dutch Fork High School Assistant Principal for Instruction Sarah Longshore. She has been named one of three finalists nationwide for this year’s NASSP’s National Assistant Principal of the Year award.
The recognition by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is aimed at honoring the country’s top school leaders for “raising student achievement and leading a culture in which students thrive,” according to a Feb. 25 release by the organization. The two other finalists for this year’s award include Jessica Ainsworth of Lithia Springs, Ga. and Dyan Harrison of Gaithersburg, Md.
“District Five has many great school administrators, and Mrs. Longshore is among the best,” said Dr. Stephen Hefner, superintendent for District Five. “Her leadership, laser focus on instruction and curriculum, and pursuit of excellence are examples of all the things that make our district, schools, staff and students great. To be named among the nation’s best assistant principals is a huge accomplishment, and we congratulate Mrs. Longshore for recognition that is well deserved.”
Longshore is in her seventh year as assistant principal and third year as assistant principal for instruction at Dutch Fork High School, a Lexington-Richland District Five school recognized as one of the highest performing schools in South Carolina. Longshore has led the school’s extensive AP program, which successes have been measured both in high scores and in the involvement of students in all demographic areas.
During her tenure, the school implemented Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), helping to significantly reduce discipline referrals and foster a community-school environment. Longshore also began leading Dutch Fork High’s data team initiative in 2011, focusing on research-based instructional strategies that impact student growth.
Longshore says as assistant principal for instruction she still practices “the art of teaching by leading professional development sessions.”
“I find the most fulfillment in working with potential and new leaders in my own building,” she said. “It is rewarding when the teachers I have mentored become respected department chairs, data team coaches, PBIS school leaders, and assistant principals at Dutch Fork High School. I have learned that the best way to influence culture and increase productivity in the school is to build capacity from within.”
The 2015 Assistant Principal of the Year selection process started in early 2015, when each NASSP-affiliated state principals association submitted their state assistant principal of the year. A panel of school leaders and educational thought leaders reduced the field to 10, from which another panel selected the three finalists.
The finalists, along with all state winners, will be honored at the 2015 NASSP Assistant Principal of the Year Symposium, during which they will also visit Capitol Hill to meet with their elected officials. A panel will also interview the finalists during the Symposium to select the National Assistant Principal of the Year, who will be announced during a surprise assembly at the assistant principal’s school before the end of the school year.
Longshore added, “It’s truly an honor to be a finalist. Every success that I have experienced at Dutch Fork High School is because I am fortunate enough to work on a truly collaborative team. I also understand that positive interactions, effective communication, a commitment to excellence, and a shared purpose of changing the world one student at a time can truly impact a school and the community.”
