Leon County's school administrators honored in light of upcoming MLK day

Arianna Otero, Tallahassee Democrat
Updated ·3 min read

Dozens of local leaders gathered Wednesday in the Leon County Courthouse rotunda to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and spotlight the achievements of local school administrators.

The event was in partnership with the MLK Foundation of Florida Inc. and the Civic Council of the Southern Christian Leadership Council, and also served as an award ceremony.

The theme of the event was "Education and the First Amendment."

Speakers, such as Judge Nina Ashenafi-Richardson, County Commissioner Bill Proctor and School Board member Darryl Jones, touched upon several topics, such as building a safe environment for children to learn, recent controversies around African-American history from the Florida Capitol, and book restrictions.

"The crisis engulfing public education today are unparalleled. Our problems are of a magnitude that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would cite them as a top shared priority," wrote Proctor in a statement released before the event. "This state of emergency is a significant challenge. Our collective response will and equitably affect our nation's strength and security, if not addressed."

"These principals and the teachers that they lead and the staff that joins them in serving our children, they set the temperature on high on excellence ... they make certain they create an environment where our children are loved first and taught second," said Jones, as he moved about the crowd during his speech.

Among the honorees were administrators of Leon County's Title 1 schools, local community service organizations and Larry Robinson, president of Florida A&M, alongside Tiffani-Dawn Sykes and Michael Alford, athletic directors for FAMU and Florida State, respectively.

Sports teams from both schools won championship titles and accomplished major athletic achievements which have garnered recognition from community members across the city. Sykes and Alford received the MLK 2024 community champion award while Robinson received the MLK 2024 excellence in educational leadership award.

"Thank you for what your universities do for our community, not only helping prepare our future generations for the workforce that they will lead and innovate, but what we do in our athletic programs in both our universities," said Antonio Jefferson, president of the Big Bend Minority Chamber of Commerce, who helped present the award to the university members. "There is no other community in the nation that does sports the way Florida A&M and Florida State University does...."

Florida A&M President Larry Robinson and Athletic Director Tiffani-Dawn Sykes sit next to Florida State Athletic Director Michael Alford and his wife Laura Alford as they listen to speakers at the Leon County MLK event.
Florida A&M President Larry Robinson and Athletic Director Tiffani-Dawn Sykes sit next to Florida State Athletic Director Michael Alford and his wife Laura Alford as they listen to speakers at the Leon County MLK event.

Award Honorees

  • Tiffani-Dawn Sykes - Athletic Director, Florida A&M University

  • Michael Alford - Athletic Director, Florida State University

  • Larry Robinson - President, Florida A&M University

  • Tallahassee Chapter of 100 Black Men

  • The ICE Foundation

  • Pam Hightower - Apalachee Elementary

  • Principal Cassandra Poole - Astoria Park Elementary

  • Principal Delshauna Jackson - Bond Elementary

  • Principal Rusty Edwards - Fairview Elementary

  • Principal Todd Lanter - Ft. Braden Elementary

  • Principal Desmond Cole - Godby High

  • Principal Zelena O'Banner - Griffin Middle

  • Principal John Olsen - Hartsfield Elementary

  • Benny Bolden - Nims Middle

  • Jasmine Smith - Oak Ridge Elementary

  • Principal Carmen Connor - Pineview Elementary

  • Principal Doug Cook - Rickards High

  • Principal Maurice Stokes - Riley Elementary

  • Principal Shannon Haire - Ruediger Elementary

  • Principal Shannon Davis - Sabal Palm Elementary

  • Principal Demetria Clemons - Sealey Elementary

  • Principal Amy Alvis - Second Chance at Ghazvini Learning Center

  • Principal Sylvia Williams - Spring Elementary

  • Lisa Mehr - Woodville School

  • Principal Ahmet Temel - Tallahassee School of Math and Science

  • Principal Precillia Vaughn - Renaissance Academy

Arianna Otero is the City Solutions Reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com or on Twitter/X: @ari_v_otero.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Officials gather at Leon County Courthouse for King Day event