Wando High School Principal Chas Coker named 2026 Administrator of the Year by Southern Interscholastic Press Association
February 10, 2026
Wando High School announced that Principal Chas Coker is the Southern Interscholastic Press Association’s (SIPA) 2026 Dr. Kay Phillips Administrator of the Year. The award recognizes administrators who demonstrate outstanding service and commitment to the growth and cultivation of their school’s student media programs and the students who work for them.
According to SIPA, Principal Coker was honored for his unwavering commitment, support, and dedication to Wando High School’s Student Media program.
“It’s just more of a reflection of you guys [Wando student media], newspaper, and yearbook, and how the hard work you’re doing,” Coker explained. “It’s more of a reflection of that than anything I’ve done. I think it’s a great highlight for Wando High School, for kids, and for the amazing programs we have. It’s just another feather in the cap of Legend and Tribal Tribune, everything y’all have going on with student media. So, I am more proud of you guys – I’m up there presenting you. It’s nothing I’ve done. But I do appreciate it, and I’m really proud of it, and I look forward to representing our high school.”
Principal Coker has been invited to attend SIPA’s annual convention in Columbia, SC, where he will receive his award and address students and advisers from across the South at the awards banquet on the evening of March 7, 2026.
SIPA represents student media programs throughout the Southern United States, making this recognition a significant honor that highlights Principal Coker’s leadership in fostering student journalism and media excellence.
“Coker has continued the standard of Wando’s and the District’s commitment to outstanding student media and then some,” said Phillip Caston, an English teacher who is the adviser for the school’s award-winning student media programs. “He has worked with us to cultivate and build our student media programs into even stronger opportunities and learning experiences for our students.”
The Dr. Kay Phillips Administrator of the Year Award celebrates educational leaders who understand the vital role student media plays in developing critical thinking, communication skills, and civic engagement among young people.
