Reston, VA—Christopher Dormer, assistant principal at Upper Darby High School in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, has been named the Pennsylvania State Assistant Principal of the Year.

The NASSP State and National Assistant Principal of the Year Program annually honors a single winner from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) schools. From that pool of outstanding administrators, one national winner is chosen. The state and national winners will be honored at a black-tie event in Washington, DC, in the spring of 2008, for their efforts to make their schools a shining star in their community. During their stay in Washington, the honorees will participate in professional development and networking activities with their peers. VIRCO Inc. (VIRCO), a school furniture manufacturer, is the sole sponsor of the NASSP State and National Assistant Principal of the Year Program.

In order to be recognized as a State or National Assistant Principal of the Year, the honorees have to demonstrate success in the following areas:

Collaborative Leadership

• Involves teachers, staff members, parents, students, and the community in achieving the goals of the
  school and district
• Provides direction or focus to achieve the school’s goals as a member of the school’s leadership team
• Models continuous professional growth
• Teaches, coaches, and assists others in professional development that focuses on student learning
• Balances management tasks with instructional leadership tasks
• Utilizes effective problem-solving techniques

Curriculum Instruction and Assessment

• Improves teaching and learning by implementing programs and improvement efforts
• Observes, supervises, and evaluates teachers and instructional programs to maximize the learning
  opportunities for every student
• Analyzes multiple sources of data to improve instructional practices and outcomes
• Demonstrates knowledge of learning, teaching, research, and programs that maximize student
  performance
• Facilitates in developing and maintaining co-curricular programs that complement the curriculum while
  fostering students’ academic success
• Contributes to make certain all students have access to challenging courses and support mechanisms

Personalization

• Assists in establishing and maintaining a positive school climate that reflects high student and staff morale
• Interacts professionally and tactfully with others
• Assists in creating structures that enable teachers to develop an appreciation for each student’s abilities
• Acknowledges achievement or accomplishments of students and teachers
• Communicates effectively orally and in writing
• Models values, beliefs, and attitudes that inspire others to higher levels of performance
• Assists in developing and maintaining dialogue with representatives of diverse community groups

For more information about the NASSP State and National Assistant Principal of the Year program and winners, please visit www.principals.org/awards or call Kristine Rzewnicki at 703-860-7238.

The National Association of Secondary School Principals—the preeminent organization and the national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals and aspiring school leaders—provides its members with the professional resources to serve as visionary leaders. NASSP promotes the intellectual growth, academic achievement, character development, leadership development, and physical well-being of youth through its programs and student leadership services. NASSP administers the National Honor Society™, the National Junior Honor Society™, and the National Association of Student Councils™. For more information on NASSP, NHS, NJHS, or NASC, visit www.principals.org.

After getting started over 57 years ago in southern California with a single customer, Virco Inc. has become America’ss leading furniture manufacturer for the K-12 market. The company’ss extensive product selection includes the best-selling, ergonomically supportive ZUMA ® collection. In addition to supplying thousands of satisfied customers with popular furniture items, Virco Inc.’s industry-leading resource-recovery and recycling program has been repeatedly honored by local, state, and national organiza ­tions.  In 2003, the United States Environmental Protection Agency recognized Virco Inc. as a charter member of its WasteWise Hall of Fame. And in 2006, Virco introduced the classroom furniture industry’s first Take-Back