School Principals Week

DoDEA is celebrating School Principals Week Oct. 13-18. School Principals Week is an opportunity to recognize the contributions and impacts principals make in their schools and communities. This year’s theme is “Leadership and Service.”

Here are seven ways to celebrate your principal during School Principals Week:

1. Share photos! Show off your amazing principals by sharing their photos on your school social media pages.
2. Make cards. Have students and staff write thank you cards. If it’s a schoolwide affair, you can set writing prompts by grade — i.e., second graders can start their card with “When I think of my principal, I think of….”, third graders can start their card with “What I like most about my principal is…”, and so on.
3. Record thank you messages. Encourage students, parents, and community partners to record thank you messages. They can be packaged into one video or shared with your principal throughout the celebratory week.
4. Create awards. Have students create their own unique awards and/or certificates of appreciation for your principal. These will be fun and memorable for your school leader.
5. Create a bulletin board display. Honor your principal with a decorated bulletin board display at your school. Have students and staff write messages on post-it notes to display.
6. Plan a celebratory program or assembly. Allow the kids (with supervision and guidance) to plan, organize and play key roles in expressing their appreciation for their principal.
7. Nominate your principal for DoDEA Principal of the Year. Selected principals receive a monetary award, grant money for their school, professional development and networking opportunities, as well as a seat on the DoDEA Principal of the Year Board. 

Remember to share how you celebrated School Principals Week on your school’s social media using #DoDEAPrincipals and #SchoolPrincipalsWeek.

Dr. Angela Stephens, DoDEA's 2022 Principal of the Year

DoDEA Principal of the Year (PoY) program

DoDEA recognizes outstanding school principals who have succeeded in leading high-quality learning opportunities for students as well as demonstrating exemplary contributions to the profession, specifically setting high standards for instruction, student achievement, character, and climate for the students, families, and staffs in their learning communities. The program provides a platform to utilize distinguished principals as models, coaches or representatives for leadership excellence. The nomination period for Principal of the Year 2025 opens soon.