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January 28, 2005

Contact:          Jocelyn McCabe
                         Director of Communications, Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP)
                         360.357.7951 or 360.951.5269 (mobile)
                         jocelyn@awsp.org

Granite Falls Principal Honored for School Leadership
Mountain Way Principal Cathie West garners regional award

OLYMPIA — Elementary school principals in the Snohomish County region have selected Granite Falls Principal Cathie West as their regional Distinguished Principal for 2005. West is one of 18 candidates for the state’s Distinguished Principal Award. The winner of the state award will serve as the nominee for National Distinguished Principals Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP).

“Cathie is noted in her school and district for her exemplary leadership qualities, and we are excited that she will represent the Snohomish region in this award program,” said Eric Cultum, principal, Kellogg Marsh Elementary. Cultum is also the Snohomish County regional director of the Elementary School Principals Association of Washington (ESPAW), the state’s professional association for elementary school principals.

“Cathie’s colleagues in the region and the staff at her school all know that she is an amazingly generous and caring person, someone of high integrity and humility,” he said. “We know that Cathie will represent our region well against other candidates from around the state.”

West has been a principal Granite Falls School District for three years, all at Mountain Way Elementary. She has holds a master’s in education from the University of California at Berkeley and a bachelor’s of arts degree from Portland State University.

“Cathie has been instrumental in the development of the math, writing and technology curriculum at our elementary schools and her ability to develop research-based, best practice strategies for the classroom is remarkable. Staff at Mountain Way have categorized her leadership as magical, which doesn’t surprise me,” said Granite Falls Superintendent Joel Thaut. “The staff gave her a perfect 4.0 on a principal feed-back survey for being ‘focused on a vision of what schools can be and has the interests of all students at its core’. Cathie is truly a treasure and I am proud to be her colleague.”

The regional, state and national Distinguished Principals Programs serve to honor exemplary elementary and middle school principals who set the pace, character, and quality of the education children receive during their early school years. One principal is chosen annually from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Principals representing private K-8 schools, Department of Defense Dependents' Schools, and the U.S. Department of State Overseas Schools are also recognized.

Public school principals are nominated by peers in their home states, and the final selection for each state's NDP is made by the NAESP state affiliate (ESPAW and the Association of Washington School Principals, in the case of Washington state). Honorees from private schools and overseas schools are selected by special committees.

“Research continues to underscore the importance of strong principal leadership in creating successful schools,” said Terry Barber, director of elementary programs for AWSP. “The Distinguished Principals Program is just one way we can recognize those bright spots of leadership in local school districts across the state. Cathie’s leadership is reflective of the kind of good work that goes on every day in Washington schools, and we’re glad to be a part of a program that highlights those examples.”

AWSP will formally honor West and the 17 other regional Distinguished Principal candidates at its K-12 Conference in Spokane this October.

For more information on the National Distinguished Principals Program, visit the NAESP Web site at www.naesp.org . To learn more about Mountain Way Elementary, visit the Granite Falls Web site at www.gfalls.wednet.edu/. 

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About the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP)
The Association of Washington School Principals is a professional association serving principals and assistant principals. Formed in 1972, the Association now includes more than 3,500 members from public and private elementary, middle and high schools statewide. It also includes three component boards, representing principals, assistant principals and principal interns at the elementary, middle and high school level. The mission of AWSP is to support principals and assistant principals and the principalship in the education of all students.