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Palmetto Elementary Principal Joanne Stearns was
recently named the Region V Principal of the Year and is under
consideration for the district award.
Palmetto Elementary Principal Joanna Stearns
"I'm deeply honored to represent Region V,"
Stearns said. "It is truly the pinnacle of my career thus far. It
is wonderful to have your colleagues recognize the work you've done
and to receive that type of reassurance about what you've tried to
accomplish."
It is yet another honor for Stearns, who has seen her
school receive a rare A-rating from Governor Bush and watched as one
of her teachers, Marcie Bosseler, receive a Presidential Award for
teaching science. Yet, Stearns insists that her success is a function
of the groundwork laid by her predecessors and the continued hard work
of Palmetto's faculty, staff and other support groups.
"I inherited so many great things from Paul
Papier (former Principal) and Patricia Booth (former Assistant
Principal) and it has made my work here so much easier," Stearns
said. "Even so, this honor couldn't have been realized without my
two outstanding assistant principals Dahlia Gonzalez and Ileana
Hernandez, my office staff, the teachers, the PTA--it was a total team
effort. I couldn't do it alone and to accomplish what we have, you
really need a team with you and behind you. In fact, I think I'm a
cheerleader as much as anything else, pushing everyone to go further,
to constantly improve."
Initially Stearns was nominated by the Palmetto Senior
High feeder pattern to represent it in the Region V competition
against the other four feeder patterns. It is from the five candidates
that the Region representatives pick their principal of the year.
Because of their relative familiarity
with the candidates, the selection procedures for
feeder pattern nomination and the Region V award were relatively
simple matters. The District selection process is considerably more
involved. Thirteen representatives from District recently conducted
extensive interviews with not just Stearns but also several of
Palmetto's faculty and staff, Palmetto parents, and community members.
Stearns was nearly overcome listening to the
interviews.
"They said the nicest things you could
imagine," she said. "It was a very flattering, very
emotional experience."
Stearns was adamant that much of what she has been
able to accomplish would never have been possible without the active
interest and involvement of Palmetto's parents in their children's
schooling.
"The parents have helped in so many ways," she said,
"from suggesting and helping with exciting new programs from the
Lunch Bunch -- where parents come in and read to the students -- to
the Word of the Day program, to helping with tutorial projects. They
even raised the funds to bring in an additional six teacher's
aides."
The excitable Stearns always tries to keep things
positive, both for the students and for the faculty and staff. She
recently received an 'attitude wand' as a gift and it's her favorite
new toy, waving it when someone seems down. She says she knows from
experience what an asset little things like that that can be in
producing a productive work environment.
"If I walk around worried about something it will
rub off on the rest of the school," she said. "I was always
happier when I worked with a happy boss and I try to do the same for
those that work for me. You'd be amazed at what a difference something
simple like that can make."
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