ACCLAIM AWARDS

District Names Top Principal
and Assistant Principal

County, our school leaders set the standard for others to follow. To honor them for their excellence and outstanding commitment to education, the School Board created the ACCLAIM Award. The award seeks to recognize school leaders who excel in the following areas: Achievement, Communication, Compassion, Leadership, Accountability, Innovation and Motivation. The 2006 ACCLAIM Awards were presented at a ceremony held at the Signature Grand in Davie.

This year’s winners are: Dr. Joel D. Herbst, former Principal at South Plantation High School in Plantation; and Leo Nesmith, Assistant Principal at Glades Middle School in Pembroke Pines.

Principal - ACCLAIM Winner
Dr. Joel D. Herbst
South Plantation High School

Dr. Joel Herbst is an educator who tirelessly gives of his time to his students, the state and the nation in an effort to positively impact public education.

He has experienced many successes over the six years he has served as principal of South Plantation High School. Minority enrollment in advanced placement classes increased by 22 percent between 2000 and 2004. Between 2001 and 2004, the percent of students scoring three or above in FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) writing increased by over 14 percent; FCAT mathematics scores increased by nearly eight percent; and FCAT reading scores increased by 5.5 percent.

Dr. Herbst reaches out to the business community to increase the opportunities of his students. Through a partnership with Coca-Cola Bottling Company, existing technology programs were reviewed and new ones created. A partnership with the South Florida Water Management District led to the creation of the school’s Environmental Science and Everglades Restoration Magnet Program. Dr. Herbst also partnered with Plantation General Hospital to create the Community Reading Initiative that provides early literacy supplies to expectant mothers and books to local day care centers.

He encourages special needs students’ participation in fine arts, including morning school television programs, drama productions and selection into the school’s National Honor Society. He also encourages awareness of special needs students by involving the student body in community projects.

South Central Area Director David Goldstein said of Dr. Herbst, “There are many proficient and dedicated leaders in education. There are also leaders who, because of their commitment to education and students, must be considered outstanding. Dr. Herbst is outstanding.”

Dr. Herbst has been named Administrator of the Year 2006 by the Southern Interscholastic Press Association and was recently appointed to the position of South Central Area Director, School Improvement.

Assistant Principal - ACCLAIM Winner Leo Nesmith Glades Middle School Opening a new school can present unique challenges, especially when the school is housed entirely in portables, but Assistant Principal Leo Nesmith’s strong leadership and effective, consistent communication to all stakeholders not only made the opening of Glades Middle School a smooth one, but also helped the school earn a grade of “A” during its inaugural school year. Mr. Nesmith, who is also Intern Principal, created a Technology Learning Community at the school to enhance the school’s focus on technology. As a direct result of the state of the art technology-driven learning environment he designed, students have shown increases in their analytical and research skills across all discipline areas. Through a modified Exceptional Student Education (ESE) schedule he created that incorporates co-teaching and support facilitation models, the numbers of students with special needs who receive academic challenges in inclusion classes has increased. He also created a unique schedule that gives all teachers 20 minutes of built in Eight-Step Instructional Reading Focus time to teach all students critical reading benchmarks and strands. Mr. Nesmith has developed an effective and ongoing professional staff development calendar that is aligned with the school improvement goals as well as teachers’ Professional Grown Plans. The daily training sessions contribute to student achievement by providing teachers with relevant and useful information to enhance their professional knowledge and effectiveness. “Mr. Nesmith never looses sight of what it is truly all about, which is providing excellence in education for all of his students and insuring that they are in a safe and nurturing environment at all times. Accomplishing our school’s goals is his number one priority,” said Fabi Rodrigues, Glades Middle School’s PTSA President. 2006 ACCLAIM Awards Finalists Principal Finalists Jan P. Beal, New River Middle School Marina S. Rashid, Eagle Ridge Elementary Valerie Smith Wanza, Lanier-James Education Center Assistant Principal Finalists Dr. Fabian Cone, Horizon Elementary School Chip Osborn, Charles Flanagan High Sandra Shipman, Falcon Cove Middle School