Blue Ridge principal earns Regional Leadership Award

Blue Ridge principal earns Regional Leadership Award

Walla Walla Elementary school principals in the Lake Wallula Region have selected Blue Ridge Elementary Principal Kim Doepker as one of 18 regional Distinguished Principal for the 2011-12 school year, and will be considered for the state's Distinguished Principal Award.

The winner of the state award will serve as the nominee for National Distinguished Principals Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP).

"Mrs. Doepker has acted to provide strong interventions and has revamped the structure of the school day to meet the needs of her students. At her school staff specialize in reading, math, or science as students move from teacher to teacher during the day. She is also adept at providing valuable feedback on lesson design and implementation." said Bruce Cannard, principal, Edison Elementary (Kennewick School District). Cannard is also the Lake Wallula regional director of the Elementary School Principals Association of Washington (ESPAW), the state's professional association for elementary school principals.

"Mrs. Doepker has also led the development of a Dual Language Spanish/English Program that is in its second year of implementation, with plans to eventually carry it through all elementary grades at Blue Ridge."

For the past five years Doepker has been principal at Blue Ridge. She was an assistant principal at Pioneer Middle School prior to her current position. She graduated from the University of Idaho and later earned a masters from Eastern Washington University in Curriculum and Instruction.

"Kim is an innovative thinker with the energy needed to carry out programs leading to student success," said Laure Quaresma, assistant superintendent of Walla Walla School District.

The regional, state and national Distinguished Principals Programs serve to honor exemplary elementary and middle school principals who set the pace, character, and quality of the education children receive during their early school years. One principal is chosen annually from each of the 50
states and the District of Columbia. Principals representing private K-8 schools, Department of Defense Dependents' Schools, and the U.S. Department of State Overseas Schools are also recognized.

Public school principals are nominated by peers in their home states, and the final selection for each state's NDP is made by the NAESP state affiliate (ESPAW and the Association of Washington School Principals, in the case of Washington State). Honorees from private schools and overseas schools are selected by special committees.

ESPAW and the statewide principals' association, the Association of Washington School Principals, will formally honor Kim Doepker and the other regional Distinguished Principal candidates at its fall conference next October.

For more information on the National Distinguished Principals Program, visit the NAESP Web site at www.naesp.org. To learn more about Blue Ridge Elementary, visit the Walla Walla School District Web site at http://www.wwps.org.