District Five principal earns Converse College Young Alumna Award
April 13, 2015
CHAPIN, SC – A Lexington-Richland School District Five administrator has received this year’s Converse College Young Alumna Award.
Chapin Elementary School Principal Lauren Prochak will receive the award during a ceremony at the school on April 24. Officials at the Spartanburg women’s college say the award is given annually to alumna within 15 years of graduation who “embodies the qualities of character and achievement that Converse alum hold as their ideal.”
“It’s an honor to be selected as the recipient of this year’s award and join the amazing alumnae who have previously been honored,” Prochak said. “I went to Converse to develop my passion for education. Because of that experience and the experiences I have had in District Five, I am proud to say that I’m accomplishing all that I hoped to do, first as a student at Converse and now as a principal at Chapin Elementary School.”
A 2005 graduate of Converse College, Prochak majored in special education with a focus on elementary school-aged special needs students. She was active in student life, serving as an orientation leader, member of student government and president of Mortar Board. Prochak worked six years as a third grade teacher in Lexington School District One, during which time she obtained a master’s degree in divergent learning and additional graduate credentials in administration.
She joined District Five in 2011, serving as an administrator at Chapin Elementary School before becoming principal in 2014. Under her administrative leadership, Chapin Elementary special education programming has expanded. Prochak says in order to ensure high levels of academic success for all students, Chapin Elementary “must provide a learning environment that is safe, engaging and supportive of all aspects of the child.”
“I am proud to be serving the district where I graduated and developed my love of learning and serving others,” Prochak said.
District Five Superintendent Dr. Stephen Hefner added, “As a key member of our administrative team, Ms. Prochak exemplifies the extraordinary educators and administrators we have in our district. We congratulate her on receiving this award and look forward to the great things she will continue to do at Chapin Elementary School and in District Five.”
(Chapin Elementary School Principal Lauren Prochak, recipient of this year’s Converse College Young Alumna Award. Prochak will receive the award during a ceremony at the school on April 24.)
