Acclaim Award

The ACCLAIM Awards were created to honor outstanding principals and assistant principals 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.

Principal Finalists
Sherry Bees, Principal
Maplewood Elementary School
Sherry Bees' guidance as a committed, intelligent, passionate and hard working principal shines through in each teacher and student at Maplewood Elementary. Bees is extremely adept at blending all of her responsibilities as a principal and moves effortlessly from role to role.

As a curriculum leader, Bees joins her staff in assessing their needs and arranging, as well as attending, staff development. She is an expert at analyzing student achievement data and monitors progress regularly. Bees is always open to new ideas and willing to listen to staff members' proposals. With her encouragement, Maplewood Elementary has many vertical teams that increase student achievement and promote a high level of collegial collaboration.





Philip Bullock, Principal
Miramar Elementary School
Philip Bullock is an extremely accessible administrator who has always maintained an open door policy for students, parents, faculty, staff and community. He is actively involved and very visible in all areas of the school. Whether it's welcoming students every day by name, attending school functions or reading to kindergarten students, Bullock can't be missed.

Bullock's achievements are reflected throughout Miramar Elementary School. In order to maintain the high level of student achievement that the school has been accustomed, many innovative curriculum programs have been implemented. He fosters an environment where a dynamic learning community, composed of parents, students, staff and community members, continuously works together to find new ways to maximize the achievement of all students.





Dr. Patricia Patterson, Principal
Nob Hill Elementary School
Dr. Patricia Patterson is a highly qualified principal with compassion for her staff, students and parents. She is aware of the work involved in being a teacher and does many creative activities to show her appreciation for Nob Hill Elementary School consistently being an “A” school.

Patterson believes that the use of technology must result in an increase in student learning, create focus on relevance to real life situations and provide motivation to succeed. At Nob Hill, she developed a technology model that has become embedded throughout the school and has resulted in the development of support systems, support roles and an increase in teacher technology capacity.




Assistant Principal Finalists
Christine Henschel, Assistant Principal
South Plantation High School
Christine Henschel has grown from a young Behavioral Specialist who worked eagerly to positively influence the lives of every child she encountered, to a respected Assistant Principal at South Plantation High School. She serves as a role model by exuding passion and ambition for seeking excellence in education. Her innovative spirit and realistic approach to leadership has encouraged South Plantation High to make transformations in the two years since she joined the staff.

In order to fill a void for 10th graders who had participated in the VALOR ninth grade academy, Henschel instituted the Cultivating Achievement and Thinking Skills program as a pilot to lay the ground work for the development of a tenth grade academy. Through this process, she found that the lowest quartile students struggled because they spent a disproportionate amount of time in Internal Suspension. Thanks to Henschel, the school's Social Worker now works twice a week with this group teaching them decision-making skills, while compensating for the loss of educational instruction.




Melissa Holtz, Assistant Principal
Bennett Elementary School
As an administrator, Melissa Holtz has impressed everyone with her calm, even demeanor and the sincere concern she has for each of the students at Bennett Elementary. The trusting relationships she has developed with the students allows her to strengthen their social and emotional needs to make sure they are capable of reaching their academic goals.

After Bennett Elementary earned a “C” grade in the 2007-08 school year, Holtz developed several programs to increase student achievement. Through a school-wide reading and math intervention, learning gains in math increased 30 percent and 14 percent in reading. In addition, “Holtz's Hot Chocolate Club” was established to provide a safe, nurturing environment for students to learn the writing process. As a result, Florida Writes! scores showed increased.





Barbara Rothman, Assistant Principal
Norcrest Elementary School
Barbara Rothman is a natural leader at Norcrest Elementary School. She is always willing to roll up her sleeves and jump in with both feet to accomplish a task for the good of all involved. Rothman approaches every situation with a level head and an even temper. She has clearly learned that a simple smile puts people at ease.

Practicing Relevant Instruction through Science and Math (P.R.I.S.M) was an innovative program Rothman facilitated in response to her school's need to address the science curriculum in a uniform fashion. Through the use of technology, P.R.I.S.M became a vehicle to train all teachers for monthly hands-on science experiments, while providing pertinent vocabulary, essential questions and targeted science strands. P.R.I.S.M was the beginning of a systematic approach to teaching science at the school.