Acclaim Award

PRINCIPAL WINNER
Dr. Patricia Dixon, Principal, Dillard Elementary
For nearly three decades, Dr. Patricia Dixon has been improving education and helping students do their very best. She began as a teacher in Montgomery, Alabama and over the years, worked her way up to become a school principal. When you meet Dr. Dixon, you quickly see that she has a special spark – a love for children and for helping them succeed at the highest levels. No where is that more obvious than at Dillard Elementary, where she took the school from the “D” grade it received from the State Department of Education to it’s current grade of “A.”

Dr. Dixon’s energy and passion for education is contagious – just ask anyone on her staff or any parent who has met her. She has spearheaded numerous grants, community partnerships and parental involvement programs that have helped Dillard Elementary climb the achievement ladder. She worked hard helping land a $200,000 grant to fully fund new, creative innovations including upgrading the school’s technology, instituting Learning Communities and incorporating intensive family programs. One such program is Families and Schools Together (FAST). This is a comprehensive 10-week program that focuses on building a strong bond between school and home – more than 50 families have graduated so far.

Dr. Dixon also turned her attention to changing the attitudes and behaviors of her students, revamping the school’s discipline procedures. Under the new plan, a comprehensive policy was created that included incentives that reward students for positive behavior. Just how successful was this, you ask? Well, during the 2001/02 school year, Dillard Elementary recorded more than 1,000 office referrals – that number has now shrunk to a mere 15 so far this school year. Now that’s a sign that the school leader is guiding students and staff in the right direction.

Dr. Dixon’s relentless drive and determination in having her students achieve academically, socially and culturally is proof positive of her total commitment to education. Spend a few moments with Dr. Dixon and it is clear that she has one motto: Keep the children first in everything you do. The sign on the school’s marquee reads: “Dillard Elementary is a School of Excellence.” Under Dr. Dixon’s leadership, those words have never been more true – she is an excellent school leader and truly deserving of the 2004 Principal ACCLAIM Award.

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL WINNER
Thomas Howard, Sawgrass Springs Middle
Ask anyone who knows Thomas Howard what they think of him and they can sum it up in two words: He cares.

He cares about his students. He cares about the teachers and staff members. He cares about parents and the community. And most of all, he cares about education. It’s this caring that drives Mr. Howard to help everyone do their very best and it’s what earned him the 2004 Assistant Principal ACCLAIM Award.

When you talk with the Sawgrass Springs Middle community, they’ll all tell you that Mr. Howard has had a direct affect on the school’s academic performance and pursuit of excellence. He works hard to create a school environment that allows for high quality teaching and learning. He also encourages the teachers he works with to use teaching strategies that increase their understanding of the learning styles and personalities of their students – he knows not every child learns in the same way. This approach has helped Sawgrass Springs Middle increase student-performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT.)

“I provide faculty, staff, students and parents with the support and guidance they need for them to be successful,” he said.

Mr. Howard also works closely with his school’s teachers, even encouraging them to challenge him on any issue they feel relates to their responsibilities as educators. For Mr. Howard, nothing is out of bounds.

“It’s allowed us to engage in discussions and conversations that have enhanced each other’s thought processes and positions on a number of educational issues,” Mr. Howard said. “As a result, we communicate more effectively, which has had a direct, positive affect on our classroom instruction and learning.”

It isn’t uncommon to visit his school and see Mr. Howard singing in the cafeteria to the students who happen to have a birthday – it’s just another way he makes his students feel special and shows that he cares about them. But ever being a teacher, it’s much more than just a song – Mr. Howard also teaches the students good manners, self-respect and self-control.

Thomas Howard is a dedicated educator who truly cares for his school, faculty, students and staff. He is always willing, ready and able to lend a hand wherever he is needed and he’s a shining example of what being a school leader is all about.

The ACCLAIM Award honors administrators who exhibit outstanding talent for educational leadership in a complex and diverse environment in the following areas: Achievement; Communication; Compassion; Leadership; Accountability; Innovation; and Motivation.


THE ACCLAIM AWARD FINALISTS