BROWARD NAMES TOP PRINCIPAL AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Broward County Public Schools named
Western High School Principal Scott Fiske and
Margate
Middle School Assistant Principal Oslay Gil as 2008 ACCLAIM Award winners at an event held on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 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.
In addition to other prizes, Fiske will participate in an exchange program. He will travel to Gold Coast City, Queensland, Australia this summer to shadow school administrators and observe teaching practices in areas of common interest including science, math, use of technology, marine science and environmental education. His Australian counterpart will visit Broward County this fall.
PRINCIPAL WINNER
Scott Fiske – Western High School
Scott Fiske is a 17-year educator and has served five of those years as principal of Western High. Under his leadership, Western’s graduation rate increased by 33.6%, to 89.8% in just two years. Enrollment in advanced placement and upper level math courses also increased significantly. It is no surprise that in 2006, Fiske was one of 15 principals in Florida to receive the “Turn Around Principal Award” for increasing his school’s letter grade from a C to A. Fiske supports the view, ‘that effective schools are a part of the larger community.” Western has also developed several partnerships that have had a big impact on its community. It is little wonder that, under his leadership. Western High School has received a number of prestigious awards including the Five Star School Award, the Golden School Award and the Silver Award. Fiske has also implemented a number of innovative academic/non- academic programs. One academic program, the 9th grade academy, is a ‘school within a school.’ In this small school setting, the lowest performing 9th graders receive remediation. This program is successful, as attendance has increased by 47% and the numbers of Ds, Fs and incidents of discipline have decreased significantly. Fiske is the consummate professional and has been aptly described by the Harvest Drive Founder as, “a man of excellence who goes beyond the call of duty.”
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL WINNER
Oslay Gil - Margate Middle School
“It’s not how far you get in life that truly matters, but rather how far you’ve come.” That is the overarching motto that guides Oslay Gil who has been an educator for nine years and has served four of those as an assistant principal at Margate Middle School. Under his astute and exemplary leadership, Margate Middle has evidenced significant academic gains in reading, writing and math. In just two years, his school moved from a letter grade of C, to an A. It is impressive to note, that Gil has also been instrumental in reducing the number of external and internal suspensions at the school. Between 2006 and 2008, external suspensions have decreased by 41% while internal suspensions have declined by 55%. Gil has developed stellar programs like “FRED” (Frequently Reviewing Educational Discipline), which has been used as a model for other schools. Gil has initiated several programs in his tenure at Margate Middle. Notable among them is the Breakthrough Program, a rigorous, tuition free academic program that provides promising and motivated students an opportunity to participate in a summer program at the prestigious Pine Crest Preparatory School. Gil, a consummate professional, successfully coordinated and hosted NANTA, a staff development program for 100 new middle school teachers. He has been lauded as someone who responds to the needs/concerns of students, teachers and parents.
