NEWS RELEASE
Release Date: June 7, 2004
Contact: Pamela Felder, Director, Leadership Development and Enhancement, (601) 359-3506 or Caron Blanton, Public Relations Director, (601) 359-3706
Mississippi Administrator of the Year Announced
Stokes-Beard Elementary School Principal Pamela Barr-Lenoir was named recently the 2004 Mississippi Administrator of the Year. Stokes-Beard is located in Columbus. Elizabeth Mosley, principal of Sudduth Elementary School in Starkville, was named the 2004 Alternate Administrator of the Year.
Other Congressional District Finalists include Sandra Kaye Boutwell McCrory, principal at Bankston Elementary School in Greenwood, and Kathy H. Harrison, principal of Ellisville Elementary School in Ellisville.
The 2004 Mississippi Administrator of the Year will receive a $5,000 salary supplement from the Mississippi Department of Education.
2004 Mississippi Administrator of the Year
Pamela Barr-Lenoir
Pamela Barr-Lenoir was named principal of Stokes-Beard Elementary School in Columbus in 2001 and has made numerous contributions to the school during this time. More notable is that the school received a Level 4—Exemplary rating in growth and achievement and met their Adequate Yearly Progress guidelines.
Barr-Lenoir has instituted several successful programs in her tenure at the school. She developed a modified character development program called “Stokes Shining Stars,” which motivates and encourages students to strive for excellence in various areas related to character development. Students are immersed in activities that teach and support the chosen topic for the month, with teachers selecting one student who best exemplifies the characteristics of the topic. The selected students enjoy a special luncheon and receive a certificate and “Stokes Shining Star” T-shirt. This program has been particularly successful in helping to raise self-esteem in students who are seldom recognized for their academic work.
Barr-Lenoir has also worked diligently to increase parental involvement in the school by showcasing students in activities that involve the parents. Her efforts have resulted in a substantial increase in participation by the parents and other caregivers. She has also initiated an extensive test preparation program so that teachers can track student progress through a Benchmark Analysis Form and base instructional decisions on data.
The West Point resident is involved with several community service and professional development activities.
Before being named principal at Stokes-Beard in 2001, Barr-Lenoir served as assistant principal for the fifth grade at Hunt Intermediate School for four years. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree in elementary education from Mississippi State University. She obtained an Educational Specialist degree in elementary education with an emphasis in educational leadership from MSU in 1995.
Barr-Lenoir is a member of numerous professional and community service organizations. She has participated in several professional development activities, conducted numerous workshops for parents as well as other educators, and has been a presenter at state and local conferences.
2004 Alternate Administrator of the Year
Elizabeth P. Mosley
When Elizabeth Mosley became principal of Sudduth Elementary School in Starkville in 1998, she was returning to familiar surroundings, having served as a librarian for the school from 1976 to 1982. In between stints at Sudduth, Mosley lived and worked in Houston, Texas, serving as a librarian and administrator at several elementary and middle schools as well as a community college.
As principal at Sudduth, Mosley has fostered an atmosphere of teamwork that has resulted in greater student achievement. Under her leadership, the school initiated the Success for All Reading Program and worked together to apply for and receive the Mississippi Department of Education's Reading Sufficiency Grant in 2001-02.
When Mosley was first appointed principal of Sudduth, she initiated the Shared Decision Making Committee to give faculty and staff a direct voice in the decision-making process.
Teachers are encouraged to consider different approaches to teaching and that has resulted in innovations such as a coordinated effort between the grade levels, where the teachers work as a team.
Mosley holds a bachelor's degree from Mississippi State University and a master's degree from the University of Alabama. She received a mid-management certification from the University of Houston in 1992.
A member of the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Mosley has participated in and conducted numerous professional development activities, including serving on educational review committees and presenting at conferences.
Second Congressional District Finalist
Sandra Kaye Boutwell McCrory
The attitude that Sandra Kaye Boutwell McCrory brings to her role as principal of Bankston Elementary School in Greenwood is one of inclusion, where she empowers others and allows them to utilize their creativity for the benefit of the school and their students. She is also a principal who believes in detailed, well-planned strategies to improve student learning and student outcomes.
Under her leadership, the school developed a plan to increase student achievement by evaluating tests, developing a timeline, addressing individual needs of students, providing professional development to teachers, involving the parents and developing student incentive plans. The plan worked, raising the students' self-esteem along with their test scores.
Before being named the principal at Bankston in 1998, McCrory served as principal of W.C. Williams Elementary School for nine years. In addition, she has taught science and math at a variety of schools on all levels, joining the Greenwood Public School District in 1976.
A graduate of Kosciusko High School, McCrory attended Holmes Junior College bevore obtaining a bachelor's degree in home economics from Delta State University. She also received a master's degree in elementary education from Delta State in 1974 and a master's degree in elementary administration and supervision from the same institution in 1988. In 1993 and 1994, she attended Yale University for the COMER: School Development Program. She has also attended numerous classes at Mississippi State University, the University of Mississippi and the University of Southern Mississippi.
She is a member of the National Association of Educators, the National Association of Elementary Principals, the International Reading Association and the National Association of Curriculum and Supervision.
She has attended numerous workshops, seminars and training opportunities in addition to presenting professional development training and workshops. She has received numerous honors, including being named the Greenwood School District's Administrator of the Year on three separate occasions. In 1999, McCrory was named a Distinguished Title I School Principal by the U.S. Department of Education
Fourth Congressional District Finalist
Kathy Harrison
Ellisville Elementary School Principal Kathy Harrison served once previously in that position in 192-84 before serving as the Chapter I, Kindergarten and Testing Coordinator for the Jones County Schools Central Office. She began her second term as principal in 1999.
As principal, Harrison's goal is to provide programs that create a learning environment that fosters student success and constantly evaluates the school to discover possibilities for improvement. She has initiated a number of successful programs and strategies to foster student achievement.
She initiated an in-school tutoring program to help students who were unable to stay after school to gain the extra help they needed. She also implemented the Mad Minute Math Program to help students become more proficient at basic math skills. She also focuses on language and reading skills through a daily morning editing exercise, which students perform as they arrive at school, so that no instructional time is lost.
A graduate of Jones County Junior College, Harrison holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master's degree in elementary education from William Carey College. She received administrative certification from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1980.
She belongs to numerous professional organizations, including the National Association of Elementary School Principals. Selected “Teacher of the Year” by her fellow teachers in 1998, she was chosen to be a part of the first team of assessors to assess administrators through the Mississippi Assessment Center, working with the Mississippi Department of Education.
As instructional leader for the school, she conducts professional develop activities on a regular basis and implements the staff development plan for the school. She also participates in workshops and seminars on a variety of topics.
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