Pennsbury Administrator Named State Principal Of The Year

Provided by the Pennsbury School District:

Theresa Ricci, Principal of Charles Boehm Middle School in the Pennsbury School District, has been named the 2015 State Principal of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals (PAESSP). Ms. Ricci will join her fellow state principals of the year from across the country for consideration as 2016 National Principal of the Year in a program conducted by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Charles Boehm Middle School was recognized in 2014 as both a State and National School of Character by Character.org, a national advocate and leader for character education based in Washington, D.C. In 2013, the school was also the recipient of the Governor’s Award for Academic Excellence. Ms. Ricci, who has served as Principal at Charles Boehm Middle School for the past eight years, holds a certificate in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her Master of Science Degree in Teaching at The College of New Jersey, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics at Boston College. Prior to assuming the Principal’s role at Charles Boehm, Ms. Ricci served as Assistant Principal at Pennwood Middle School in Pennsbury. She previously taught Social Studies at Pennsbury High School.

Upon learning the news and making the announcement to the faculty and staff at Charles Boehm Middle School, Pennsbury Superintendent Dr. Kevin McHugh said, “No one attains this honor without being an extraordinarily dedicated educator, with the cohesive support and hard work of everyone in the learning community. That doesn’t happen by accident. We are all so very proud of Ms. Ricci and of the entire Charles Boehm community. We congratulate her on this recognition of the positive culture she has worked so hard to develop at Charles Boehm Middle School.”

Ms. Ricci stated, “I am truly humbled and deeply grateful to the PAESSP for this honor. I have made a commitment to building a culture of excellence, leadership, empowerment, and respect with staff, students, parents, and community. My leadership style is a true shared one, where there are stakeholders involved in decision making and in executing enhancements to our program. Building relationships with the Boehm community and empowering them by creating a shared vision, a common language, and confidence are keys to making significant school change and creating an environment where the focus is on achievement and success for all.”

“NASSP is proud to highlight the incredible work that these principals are doing in our nation’s schools,” said NASSP Executive Director JoAnn Bartoletti. “State principals of the year show all educators the strides schools and students can make when a principal is committed to raising student achievement through personalization and collaboration.”

The NASSP National Principal of the Year program convenes the year’s top principal from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education ActivitySchools, and the US Department of State Office of Overseas Schools to be honored at a three day Institute in Washington, DC, September 15-17, 2015. During the event, principals will meet with their elected officials to discuss legislation that impacts education, participate in professional development and networking opportunities with NASSP staff and their peers, and be officially recognized for their achievement during a state awards program on the opening night.

From this pool of state winners, three national finalists are named in August and interviewed bya distinguished panel of judges during the Institute. The 2016 NASSP National Principal of the Year will be announced at the winner’s school during National Principals Month in October. Additional information about the NASSP National Principal of the Year program can be found at www.nassp.org/poy.