OASSP / OMLEA

Will Parker, OASSP/OMLEA Executive Director

Principals have done extraordinary work this year serving school communities throughout the pandemic. As conditions improve, more schools have opened more events for students and families, including proms and graduation ceremonies. Thank you to secondary and middlelevel principals for the determination, creativity and patience you have modeled this school year!

Awards & Recognition

Jennifer Patterson- Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year

Laura Bullock- Middle Level Principal of the Year

Melissa Barlow- Oklahoma High School Principal of the Year

Secondary and Middle Level Administrators across the state were nominated for Principal of the Year Awards for 2020-2021. Finalists were interviewed by committees of former award recipients, and three administrators have been announced as OASSP/ OMLEA awardees.

On December 3, 2020, OASSP/OMLEA announced Jennifer Patterson as this year’s Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year. Ms. Patterson is Assistant Principal at Dewitt Waller Middle School, Enid Public Schools. NASSP recognized her award in a nationally broadcast virtual webinar on Friday, April 9, 2021. On March 10, 2021, Laura Bullock of Idabel Middle School was named the Middle Level Principal of the Year. On March 11, 2021, Melissa Barlow, Principal at Yukon High School, was named the Oklahoma High School Principal of the Year.

Each principal will be recognized at the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA) Summer Leadership Conference this June. You can read more about each award winner at the CCOSA website news page: www.ccosa.org/index.php?newsdetail&category_id=8

Membership

As of April 5, 2021, OASSP’s membership included 807 active members. These members represent 487 High School or Middle School Principals, 256 Assistant Principals, 41 Directors, 16 Deans, 4 Counselors, and 4 Administrative Interns.

OMLEA’s membership includes 537 administrators. These members represent 348 principals, 154 assistant principals, 15 Directors, 8 Deans, 4 Coordinators, 5 Superintendents and 3 Admin Interns. Thank you to principals across the state committed to secondary and middle level leadership. If you know other middle-level and high school principals who would benefit from OASSP/ OMLEA membership, invite them to join!

Conference

The OASSP and OMLEA Executive Committees voted unanimously to cancel this year’s combined OASSP/OMLEA conference. Members are looking forward to the opportunity to meet again in person next school year. In the meantime, virtual regional meetings have been scheduled for principals to touch-base and share best practices.

Advocacy

On February 4, Chris LeGrande, Guthrie High School Principal and NASSP Coordinator, represented Oklahoma in a national virtual panel discussing pandemic safety protocols for schools. March 31, OASSP and OAESP hosted a virtual Principal Day at the Capitol for updates on current state legislation. On April 20-21, OASSP officers Dusty Throckmorton, David Beiler and Chris LeGrande attended NASSP’s annual Advocacy Conference, which was also a virtual event this year.

Professional Learning

Throughout 2020-2021, members participated in the twice monthly TeleLEAD virtual meeting on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at noon and averaged between 40+ participants for each session. We are grateful to the commitment and insights provided each time by our Hubteam members: Julie Bloss, Grove Early Childhood Center; Eric Fox, Jenks High School; Kas Nelson, Vici Elementary School; and Stephanie Williams, Norman Public Schools. The case studies and didactic presentations during each session allowed educators to discuss topics including developing guided coalitions, managing current events in curriculum, moving forward during decision-fatigue, effectively leading data teams, and more!