Shelly Larochelle, principal of Northwest Elementary
School, received the Elementary School Principal of the Year Award from the New
Hampshire Association of School Principals. The annual award is one of three
that recognizes one outstanding school principal in the state at the
elementary, middle and high school levels.
The nomination for Larochelle included high praise
from her colleagues, including one who wrote to the selection committee,
“Shelly is a principal that truly inspires the passion of being an educator in
all of us. . .She promotes a culture that spreads optimism and cultivates a
positive learning environment through the school. Teachers want to work with
her and beside her.”
Larochelle has spent her entire career in Manchester
and at Northwest, the city’s largest elementary school with an enrollment of
about 700 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. She began as a
classroom teacher in 1995, became the school’s assistant principal in 2001, and
since 2008, Larochelle has served as principal. She enjoys her role as an
administrator.
“It is fulfilling to see that I have a direct part in
making a positive impact on students, teachers, and the school as a whole,”
said Larochelle. “I enjoy investing time with students and seeing them mature
and grow throughout the school year and beyond. Our hard-working, dedicated
faculty and staff make me proud to come to work every day.”
Those who know Larochelle say her collaborative
ability to motivate and empower teachers to develop lifelong learners in their
students has helped her school reach new heights.
“My constituents often tell me they chose their homes
specifically so that their children could attend Northwest,” said Ward 12 Board
of School Committee member Connie Van Houten, who supported Larochelle’s
Principal of the Year nomination. “Northwest is one of Manchester’s hidden
gems, in large part because of Mrs. Larochelle, who excels well beyond her job
description in leadership, integrity, compassion and devotion to her school.”
As a state Principal of the Year recipient, Larochelle
will represent New Hampshire in Washington, D.C., when the National Association
of Elementary Principals names its 2016 national Principal of the Year in the
fall.
“We congratulate Shelley on this outstanding
achievement. This honor is truly
indicative of the high caliber of principals in our school district,” said Superintendent
of Schools Debra Livingston.
This year's finalists for NH Secondary School Principal of the Year included Karen Machado of Manchester School of Technology, and Memorial High School assistant principal Peter Perich was a finalist for NH Assistant Principal of the Year.
Congratulations to all of them!
Comments
Post a Comment