About the MASC/MAHS Principal of the Year

The backbone of the school, the Principal, can be nominated by a student group in their building for tremendous support of the leadership program and the school community. Student Leadership opportunities exist because administrators understand the value of leadership development and student ownership in schools. It is important that students have the opportunity to recognize these school leaders. MASC/MAHS recognizes one outstanding middle school principal or high school principal from each of the 12 geographical centers/regions (for a center map, head to www.mascmahs.org/membership). From these center award winners, ONE principal will be named the MASC/MAHS Principal of the year. The center and state winners are selected by the MASC/MAHS Board of Delegates.

Policies and Procedures

No Board of Delegate member may participate in a Center's selection if his/her principal is a candidate.
Recognition of the winners from each Center will take place at the State Student Conference. 
No principal who has been honored with this award may be considered again until five (5) years after receiving the award. (If you are unsure if your principal is eligible please contact 517/327-5315 or todd@mascmahs.org)

The candidate must be serving as a principal, assistant principal, or other administrator at the building level (dean of students, etc..) in a junior high, middle school or high school that is a current member of 
MASC/MAHS. (Are you unsure if your school is a member? Contact 517/327-5315 or head to www.mascmahs.org/membership.) Director of student activities and related positions are NOT eligible for this award, please nominate them for the Adviser of the Year. In addition, the candidate must also be a current member of MASSP. There may be only one applicant per school.

The Application Process

The following documents must be included in the application packet, in the following order. See page two for complete descriptions on how to submit this information. PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK your responses for completion and accuracy, as this continues to be a major factor in awards grading/selection.

• Cover Page
• Applicant Resume
• Recommendation from a member of the nominating group's Executive Board
• Recommendation from the student group adviser
• Statement from candidate

Part One: Cover Page
For consistency in selection, we ask that you use the PROVIDED cover page filled in completion attached to the front of the application. Original signatures must be used to prove that the information contained is accurate and truthful. Applications without the provided cover page may not be considered.

Part Two: Candidate Resume
Application sheets must be filled out accurately and completely. If this award is being submitted without the candidate's knowledge, make every attempt to include all information as detailed as possible. Missing or incomplete parts of the candidate resume will cause an application to be disqualified. The following line items must be addressed in LIST FORMAT. This entire section must not exceed two pages of information.

• Leadership activities/events candidate endorses and promotes at the school
• Major, influential additions, changes, alterations the candidate has made to the school since they have become an administrator (provide detail on what the change was and the impact it had on the school).
• Other areas of leadership development candidate is responsible for within the school.
• Areas of involvement in candidate's local community and/or school community
• MASSP or MASC/MAHS conferences/events the candidate has attended
• Awards/recognitions the candidate has received from the school, community, state or nation
• TO BE COMPLETED BY THE INDIVIDUAL NOMINATING THE CANDIDATE: Please describe briefly at least three ways in which you feel the candidate exemplifies school leadership.

Part Three: Student Recommendation
A member of the student group's executive board must submit a recommendation that touches on why this candidate is worthy of receiving the MASC/MAHS Center Principal of the Year Award. The committee will be looking for specific examples of how this candidate moves the school and its student leaders forward. There is no need to reiterate the candidate's resume items. Focus on the impact the candidate has had on students, the student leadership activities, the school as a whole and the surrounding community. The letter is limited to TWO pages, typed, double-spaced. The board member must sign the recommendation letter.

Part Four: Adviser Recommendation
ONE of the student group’s who comprise the MASC/MAHS school must have an adviser submit a recommendation that touches on why this candidate is worthy of receiving the MASC/MAHS Center Principal of the Year Award. The committee will be looking for the adviser to provide evidence/examples of the principal’s work/efforts/successes. There is no need to reiterate the candidate's resume items. Focus on the impact the candidate has had on the students, the council, the school as a whole and the surrounding community. The letter is limited to TWO pages, typed, double-spaced. The adviser must sign the recommendation letter.

Part Five: Candidate Response
In order to allow this award to be submitted as a surprise to the candidate, we have created a prompt that you may disguise that the candidate needs to write a response to. The nominee must reply to the following statement: “Why are student activities important in our middle and/or high schools?” This statement is limited to TWO pages, typed, double-spaced. The candidate must sign the statement.

Click here to download cover page and printable instructions.

Questions or Comments?

The deadline for submissions to be received is March 8, 2013. To ensure all nominees are considered, electronic submissions are not accepted.Questions on all award programs should be directed to Todd Burlingham, MASC/MAHS Director at todd@mascmahs.org for fastest response. Call volumes at the office are very heavy at this time of year. Email regarding awards will be the fastest way for clarification. Award winners will be announced at the MASC/MAHS Student State Conference (both JAM and high school). Although encouraged, you do not need to be present to accept your award.