Recognitions, a Farewell, a Welcome

October is being designated as National Principals Month as a way to honor the contributions our nation’s principals make towards school improvement and student success. The celebration is being led by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and the American Federation of School Administrators.

These men and women are the people who are ultimately held responsible for whatever happens, good or bad, in our schools. It is fitting that they receive special recognition for their tireless efforts. You can learn more about National Principals Month at www.principalsmonth.org.

Green Schools: Congratulations to the 46 schools and six districts that were honored at the 2018 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools ceremony in late September for their innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and costs, promote better health, and ensure effective environmental education. You can find a list of the honorees at www2.ed.gov.

America’s Healthiest Schools: A record 461 schools, from 26 states and the District of Columbia, were recently recognized as “America’s Healthiest Schools” by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. They earned the distinction by successfully meeting a rigorous set of criteria for serving healthier meals and snacks, getting students moving more, offering high-quality health and physical education, and empowering school leaders to be healthy role models. To view the complete list, visit HealthiestSchools.org.

Goodbye and Welcome: Brandon Barrett has served us as our assistant editor for more than five years. At the beginning of September, he moved on to pursue other opportunities, but you may still see his byline on occasion, as he will contribute to our publications on occasion. I am sure that those of you who had the opportunity to work with Brandon join us as we wish him well in his future endeavors. Leila McNeill has joined us as associate editor and has assumed responsibility for some of Brandon’s former tasks. She has already proved to be a valuable addition to our team.

A Reminder: You can follow me on Twitter, @SPM_editor, and you are always welcome to contact me with your thoughts and ideas at [email protected].

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management October 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

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