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Hoover principal awarded state honor By DAMIAN MANN When it comes to raising the educational level of Medford's elementary schools, principal Phil Meager seems to have the Midas touch. Now that touch has really paid off. Meager, who heads Hoover Elementary School, was recently named Oregon's Elementary Principal of the Year by the National Association of Elementary School Principals. "I was a little surprised," said Meager. "I was flattered." Meager, 52, was instrumental in improving state test scores during a three-year period for students while he was at Jefferson Elementary School, considered a socioeconomically disadvantaged school. In 1999, it received the National Distinguished Title 1 Award. "Our school was in the top 87 schools in the United States in 1999," said Meager. The school twice received an accreditation with merit award after boosting test scores and was one of the first schools in the Pacific Northwest to become accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. Meager, who left Jefferson to head Hoover two years ago, also has helped other elementary schools with the accreditation process, including Ruch and Washington. A graduate of the University of Nebraska, Meager has been a leader in developing districtwide tests that assess students' performance to fine-tune curriculum with the state tests and to show student growth. This year, he led an effort to update the tests to meet changing performance requirements. For the past two years, Meager has been improving test scores at his new school. "Hoover's a dynamite school," he said. "We've seen significant improvement in our scores." Superintendent Steve Wisely said, "He has such good leadership skills. He gets everybody working together and in the same direction." Meager is the second Medford district principal to receive this prestigious award. Jacksonville Elementary School Principal Bob Goercke was named principal of the year in 1999. Wisely said, "It's rare to have two people in the same district win an award like this. I guess that shows the quality of the people we do have." Meager said he wouldn't be able to achieve this success without his staff. "I truly don't feel I'm any better or different than any of my colleagues who work hard at their job." He believes his forte is in getting people to work together toward a goal of student success. Meager has been active in the community and was a former Scout leader. Meager lives in Medford with his wife, Jolene, a teacher at Lone Pine Elementary School. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.