Nathan Hale leader named Massachusetts elementary principal of the year

BOSTON – The Massachusetts Elementary School Principals’ Association (MESPA) honored Sandra Mitchell-Woods, principal of the Nathan Hale Elementary School in Roxbury, with the 2009 Thomas C. Passios Outstanding Principal Award. Commissioner of Education Mitchell Chester presented Ms. Mitchell-Woods with the award in a ceremony recently at the MESPA annual conference in Hyannis.

Established in 1979 in memory of an outstanding school leader and sponsored jointly by MESPA, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Fitchburg State College Alumni Association, the Passios Award is given annually to an elementary and middle-level principal in recognition of leadership, exceptional dedication to education, outstanding professionalism and an unselfish attitude toward helping others.  

“I am thrilled that Sandy Mitchell-Woods has had the formal acknowledgement of what we have all known for years: that she is a gifted, talented educator who is truly making a difference at the Nathan Hale School and in the community,” said Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “I hope that this recognition will encourage others to visit the Hale School where so many great things are happening.”  

As the Passios Award recipient, Ms. Mitchell-Woods will also participate in the National Distinguished Principal Program, which honors exemplary elementary and middle-level principals selected from each state, the District of Columbia, and private, parochial and overseas schools. Recognition as a National Distinguished Principal is considered to be the highest praise a principal can receive from his or her peers in the profession. In October, Ms. Mitchell Woods will travel to Washington, D.C. for a two-day celebration featuring activities, networking opportunities and a formal awards banquet.

“Sandy’s leadership has helped create an environment at the Hale in which teachers, staff, parents, volunteers, and others are united in their focus on student achievement,” said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Carol R. Johnson. “Sandy has done an incredible job of bringing volunteers and community partners to the Hale to support student learning. In talking about this award, Sandy has stressed that it belongs not just to her, but to the entire school community, and we congratulate everyone at the Hale on their success.”

Ms. Mitchell-Woods has served as principal at the Nathan Hale for ten years and has worked in the Boston Public Schools for 21 years. She began her career in education as an elementary school teacher in Cedar Falls, Iowa in 1977 before coming to Boston in 1989. Ms. Mitchell-Woods has served as a teacher at the Marshall Elementary School in Dorchester and later as an assistant principal at both the Lee and Mather Elementary Schools, also in Dorchester, before becoming principal of the Hale in 1999. 

Under her leadership, the Nathan Hale School, which serves a predominantly low-income minority population, with 85% of the students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, has received numerous awards and honors. In 2005, the school was ranked among the top 100 schools in Massachusetts by Boston Magazine. In 2008, the school was “on target” in English/Language Arts and “above target” in Mathematics, under the Federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) regulations.

Ms. Mitchell-Woods is the fourth Boston Public Schools principal to receive the Passios Outstanding Principal Award. Other Boston principals who have received the award are Mary Russo, former Principal of the Murphy K-8 School in 2004, Robert Berry (retired) in 1988 and Patrice DiNatale, former Principal of the Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in 1993.

For more information on the Massachusetts Elementary School Principals Association, visit www.mespa.org.  

For more information on the National Distinguished Principals Program, visit http://www.naesp.org/National_Distinguished_Principals_Program.aspx. 

Photo caption: Nathan Hale students Marcus (5th grade) and Hezekiah Branch (4th grade) congratulate principal Sandra Mitchell-Woods on her selection as Massachusetts principal of the year. The brothers helped honor Ms. Mitchell-Woods recently at the Massachusetts Elementary School Principals’ Association conference in Hyannis. From left to right: Massachusetts Commissioner of Education Mitchell Chester; Marcus Branch; Hezekiah Branch; Sandra Mitchell-Woods. Photo courtesy of O’Connor Studios.