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Principal goes to head of the class Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Williams Elementary School Principal Juanita Fagan, second from left, gets a group hug from the first-grade class on the eve of her trip to Washington, D.C., to receive the National Distinguished Principal Award. Williams Elementary School leader awarded national recognition By Paul Fattig WILLIAMS � The bell in the old tower at Williams Elementary School rang loud and clear for principal Juanita Fagan this morning. But Fagan, who normally leads her young charges daily in the short ceremony of bell ringing and pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, wasn�t there to hear it. The school�s principal for nearly 16 years was en route to Washington, D.C., to accept an award as one of 66 outstanding elementary and middle school principals being honored this year by the Department of Education and the National Association of Elementary School Principals. The educators, selected from nearly 30,000 peers, hail from each state and the District of Columbia as well as American schools abroad. Accompanying Fagan will be her husband, Jeff Fagan, principal of Talent Elementary School. "It�s everyone�s award, not just mine," she said of her school, which has eight teachers and two educational specialists. "I�ve got a phenomenal staff." Those comments don�t surprise Sue Morgan, the school�s Title I coordinator who came to Williams Elementary six years ago. "She�s fantastic," said Morgan, whose husband, Robert Morgan, teaches third grade at the school. "I�ve been in education for 20 years, and she�s the best administrator I�ve ever had. "One of the things Juanita does best is empower people to make good decisions and be motivated," she added. "She models sheer energy. She�s always looking for new ways to motivate kids and adults. And she communicates really well with both." Before being presented the 2000 National Distinguished Principal awards by Education Secretary Richard Riley on Friday, the educators will have an opportunity to express their views on education in round-table discussions. For the Williams principal, it begins with fundamentals. "Such rituals as saying the pledge of allegiance together and ringing that bell sounds so simple, but it gives children a sense of belonging to a community and establishing good values," she said Monday afternoon. "They volunteer to ring the bell. They see it as a special pat on the back." When she was contacted this past summer about the award, she was asked to identify educational concerns. "My number one issue is funding for rural education," she said. "That�s very important because we are faced with funding cuts. These children who live in high-poverty rural communities like Williams have the greatest need." Another major issue is meeting the needs of at-risk children in rural areas, she said. "It�s our responsibility to help children, to guide them into becoming responsible citizens," she said. "Our society is no longer an easy society to grow up in. Our children need all the support they can get." Fagan began her career as a teacher 23 years ago before becoming principal at Williams. For two years, she served as a principal at both Williams and Merlin elementary schools. The Williams school, whose original buildings and bell go back to 1925, has about 120 students. It includes grades first through fifth. "It�s challenging," she said. "We have a high level of poverty kids, of at-risk kids here. But they continue to meet or exceed averages on statewide tests for third through the fifth grade. "Our kids really work here," she added. "Our attendance is excellent." But the number of students considered to come from impoverished homes in the area has risen in recent years, she said. "We need to make it so they can make it as adults out there," she said. "When you have kids say, �I love being at school,� then you know you are doing something right." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.