Okaloosa County School District recognizes four administrators with year-end honors
NICEVILLE — During Monday night's Okaloosa County School District meeting, Superintendent Marcus Chambers and the Okaloosa County School Board honored four administrative officials from four different schools across the county.
According to Chambers, the Administrator of the Year recognition program began two years ago after Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lee Hale recommended the district honor those officials
Elementary Assistant Principal of the Year
The School District recognized Jordan Berry from Lewis School as the 2024 Elementary Assistant Principal of the Year.
"When you go Lewis School and go in that front office, you do not necessarily see Mr. Jordan Berry," said Chambers. "He's out in the classrooms. He's out and about on the campus and he is an individual who is a hard worker and absolutely has a heart for students, teachers and staff. That's something that we couldn't be more proud of."
Berry began by thanking the School Board and his mentors for the opportunity to be recognized. "There's a lot of great administrators here and it's an awesome honor to be here," said Berry
Secondary/K-12 Assitant Principal of the Year
The School District recognized Assistant Principal Lucretia Waskow from Rukel Middle School as the 2024 Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year.
"Ms. Waskow, again is another administrator who very much cares for students first and foremost but also her teachers and staff," said Chambers. "She is a doer. She is someone who the teachers and staff can absolutely depend on, and she is someone her principal can depend on as well."
Waskow began her remarks by thanking the School Board before thanking her teachers and students who push her to be her best every day.
In addition to Monday's honor, Waskow was also named the 2024 Assistant Principal of the Year by the State of Florida.
Elementary Principal of the Year
The School District has recognized Jason McClelland, who earned this honor during his time at Mary Esther Elementary School as the 2024 Elementary Principal of the Year. McClelland is now the principal of Pryor Middle School.
Chambers began his remarks by saying that a conversation with McClelland will leave you with a smile. Chambers noted that during his time at Mary Esther, he has seen tremendous growth as an educational leader and was beloved by students and staff.
"When you ask, 'Who is an educator?' you can definitely say, Jason McClelland," said Chambers.
McClelland began his remarks by thanking the School Board and previous staff and principals who helped him during his time as an educator before thanking the staff at Mary Esther Elementary.
"It takes more than just the leader at the school," said McClelland. "(The staff) was a huge part of the success at Mary Esther."
Secondary Principal of the Year
The School District has recognized Niceville High School Principal Charlie Marello as the 2024 Secondary Principal of the Year.
“He embodies energy and enthusiasm. He’s someone who absolutely cares about the students at the school to the point where you walk down the halls, he knows the students by name,” Chambers said. “I think if there are four nighttime events, you might see him at four nighttime events. This is someone who cares about Niceville and cares about this school district.”
Marello began his remarks by thanking his wife, Allison, who taught English for 18 years at Niceville High. He then thanked his administrative teams and other principals from across the district for their friendship and support before thanking Chambers for recruiting Marello from Walton County, where he spent his first 15 years in education.
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Okaloosa County School District recoginizes school admins
