Dr. Mark S. Strauss, Principal at Virginia Shuman Young Elementary

Dr. Mark S. Strauss, Principal at Virginia Shuman Young Elementary (VSY), and Kathryn Sullivan, Assistant Principal at Indian Ridge Middle School are Broward County Public Schools 2007 ACCLAIM award winners. The announcement was made at a special event held at the Signature Grand in Davie. The ACCLAIM Awards were created to honor an outstanding principal and assistant principal each year for their hard work and dedication. The awards seek to recognize school leaders who excel in the following areas: Achievement, Communication, Compassion, Leadership, Accountability, Innovation and Motivation.

To the students at Virginia Shuman Young Elementary, Dr. Strauss is a man on a “moose mission.” His office has a moose décor – from statues to books to artwork. He leads the school’s annual costume parade in moose attire, always a copy of If You Give a Moose a Muffin tucked under his arm. This has delighted the school’s students and endeared him to each of them.

Strauss has a unique understanding of his students and how to help them succeed. While serving as principal at VSY, overall learning gains at the school have increased. The percentage of students reading at level has increased from 85% to 91% and math gains have gone from 73% to 83%. Students in the lowest quarter of the school’s population have demonstrated an increase in learning gains from 70% to 77%.

Karen S. Ammar, President of O. R. Colan Associates, a school partner, said of Strauss, “Dr. Strauss would likely say that it is his incredible staff that allows his school to stay at the top of its game, and that is true. However, it is his leadership that drives his talented teachers so consistently.”

Kathryn Sullivan, Assistant Principal at Indian Ridge Middle

An interest in learning theory, and particularly how it applies to children, drove Kathryn Sullivan to a career in education. She wants to know how and why children learn, as well as what can be done to create an optimal learning environment.

Sullivan has developed a school-wide database to track incoming students’ assessments from 5th grade through high school matriculation to give an overall snapshot of students’ progress. She also created a school-wide literacy campaign using the theme, “Got Books?” The campaign included reading incentives, book exchanges, literature circles, author nights, a database of books read, staff “READ” posters and student reading
goals.

The quality of professional development at Indian Ridge has improved under Sullivan’s leadership. She created virtual and face-to-face Professional Learning Communities for each department and team to share current research and best practices in a supportive, collegial manner. She also recently gained additional experience at Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. Middle School as part of the Intern Principal Program.