The Apopka Memorial Middle School celebrated its assistant principals during National Assistant Principals Week with gifts and recognition.
Administrators and the student body of about 850 honored Hollie Pearce, who has been assistant principal the school for two years, and Justin Yount, assistant principal at the school for 2½ years.
With a different theme every day of the week, the school gifted the Yount and Pearce with gift cards, lunch and flowers – “a showering of love all week long,” Principal Lisa James said.
The school ended the week with a superhero theme on Friday, and with the assistant principals going off campus to lunch at Beef ‘O’ Brady’s.
“They are the most amazing set of assistant principals,” James said, adding she wanted to ensure the assistant principals get recognized because often, their busy schedules don’t allow that opportunity. “They really partner together with me to ensure that the students are safe … they make my job so much easier.”
Pearce and Yount said they were thankful for staff and student support, further experiencing that gratitude since both are Apopka residents.
Assistant principals support the school building and divide the responsibilities between them in managing the school, its administration and students, Pearce said.
“I love it,” Pearce said about being assistant principal. “I feel like it’s a good spot to be a teacher’s advocate, so kind of the middle man, making sure that we get that student achievement, but advocate for what’s best for teachers and students.”
To know that he has played a significant role as assistant principal at Apopka Memorial has been great, Yount said.
“Our school has shown a tremendous amount of growth over the past three years,” he said. “We’re very happy with where we’re at. Our staff has been wonderful. Our students are progressing very well, so it’s just nice to be part of that process.”
The 119th Congress has designated April 7-11 of this year as National Assistant Principals Week. The National Association of Secondary School Principals National Assistant Principal of the Year Program has recognized middle and high school assistant principals since the association’s establishment in 2004.
Assistant principals interact “with many sectors of the school community,” according to Senate Resolution 161, which designated this year’s National Assistant Principals Week.
“[They] are responsible for establishing a positive learning environment and building strong relationships between school and community,” the resolution said. “[They] play a pivotal role in the instructional leadership of their schools by supervising student instruction, mentoring teachers, recognizing achievements of staff … monitor and address facility needs, attendance, transportation issues, and scheduling challenges … [and] are entrusted with maintaining an inviting, safe, and orderly school environment that supports the growth and achievement of each and every student …”
The Apopka Chief is an award-winning weekly newspaper serving the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923.
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