Sheri Boehlert, Principal of Ketchikan’s Schoenbar Middle School, was named Alaska Principal of the Year by the Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals.
“It’s a great recognition from her colleagues statewide and in the region, and it just shows the great work she’s done over her years as a principal,” said Dominique Johnson, with the Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals.
Boehlert has spent her entire teaching career in Ketchikan. She started as a teacher and then principal at Point Higgins Elementary. With Boehlert at the helm, Point Higgins received a National Blue Ribbon Schools award for excellence in student achievement. She’s been the Schoenbar Principal for nearly a decade.
“It’s exciting,” Boehlert said in a phone call after receiving the award. “I really believe that while it names me as Principal of the Year, that it’s really a recognition of my whole staff, because you don’t get here by yourself.”
According to Johnson, the winner of the Principal of the Year award is first nominated by their peers. Then, educators elect regional winners. The board of the statewide association of principals then selects the Alaska Principal of the Year from those eight regional honorees.
“Sometimes little old Ketchikan doesn’t really draw much attention to itself on the state level. So it’s nice to see that we were recognized amongst our peers across the state,” said Boehlert.
Rick Dormer is board president of the Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals. He is also the principal of Ketchikan High School.
“[Boehlert] is an innovative leader who works tirelessly to develop a collaborative environment in which staff expertise is valued and shared, and every student is known and cared for,” Dormer said in a press release.
Alaska Education Commissioner Deena Bishop echoed that, stating that Boehlert’s dedication to her community and “data-driven decision-making, best practices, and inclusive leadership” should make Alaska proud.
Boehlert said Schoenbar is currently in a process of improvement. Until recently, the school had operated on a model similar to a high school, as she put it, “which is really not what best practice is for students that are adolescents.”
“The research all shows that different approaches are better,” she said. “So we really have been moving towards becoming a true ‘middle school,’ which really focuses on building connections and building relationships – not only student-to-student, but student-to-teacher, student-to-school, student-to-community and school-to-parent. Really kind of developing an approach that really supports the whole student.”
Boehlert is also in the running for National Principal of the Year. She will head to Washington, D.C. this fall to represent Alaska at the nationwide Principals Institute summit.
