Burlington High Principal Honored with National NASSP Digital Principal Award

Congratulations are in order for Principal Patrick Larkin who this week was given notice he will be honored in an upcoming educators conference by a national education organization.

On Wednesday the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) announced that Larkin was one of three principals from around the country to be a recipient of this year's Digital Principal Award. Larkin will be honored at the NASSP Breaking Ranks K-12 Conference in Tampa, FL held from March. 8 to 10.

According to the award announcement by NASSP, Larkin was chosen for his leadership among educators in supporting technology in the classroom, for implementing fresh ideas at Burlington High and integrating technology and education.

"The hallmark of Patrick Larkin’s success as a principal is his commitment to sharing learning, and he has created numerous platforms for that sharing that have caught on across the globe," NASSP states.

"He is a co-founder of the Connected Principals blog, a group blog that promotes discussion among school leaders, and the corresponding "#cpchat" hashtag on Twitter. He has also directed the EdCamp Admin un-conference to gather school leaders in person to discuss the use of digital tools," the announcement continues. "Larkin conducts regular Parent Tech Nights to assist parents in working with their students to maintain a healthy online profile. In 2012, he led the launch of a , the journey of which can be found on his blog, http://www.patrickmlarkin.com/."

NASSP is announcing the recipients in recognition of the first Digital Learning Day, a nationwide initiative that celebrates the many ways digital media are improving learning. NASSP is core partner in the initiative.

According to NASSP, a call for Digital Principal Award applications went out nationwide in December. The applications were then measured against the criteria of the National Education Technology Standards for Administrators and the principals’ application of those skills to achieve school improvement goals as defined by NASSP’s Breaking Ranks framework. The recipients will be guests of NASSP at the 2012 NASSP Breaking RanksK–12 Conference in Tampa at which they will offer a panel presentation on digital media in leadership and learning. They will also be featured in the October 2012 issue of Principal Leadership magazine.

"Students will not be able to acquire 21st century skills without a mastery of 21st century tools," said NASSP Executive Director JoAnn Bartoletti said of Larkin and the other two honorees. "But effective use of technology tools will become pervasive in a school only when the school leader is invested in its success. These three principals are providing leadership not just in schoolwide integration of technology, but also in modeling the use of technology in their own learning. We are proud to recognize them."

Following the announcement, Larkin told Patch he was happy with the honor, though he deflected much of the praise to the school staff and the school community.

"It's always nice to get recognition for something you've been working at for a long time," he said. "It's really a testament to our school community. What we do is possible because of the supportive environment and the teachers working hard to integrate the new educational tools. I've been fortunate to have a supper superintendent and a tremendous staff willing to try new things that are in the best interest of the kids."

Larkin added his hope is that the award and conference will help promote the use of technology in education.

"I'm hoping we'll be able to share concrete examples of these things working positively," he said. "There is a lot of fear of the unknown in education and of using new resources. Some schools don't allow students to have their cell phones whereas we give them all mobile devices. The issue is that things change quickly, especially outside of the school environment, and that is what kids need to be prepared for."

The other principals being honored by MASSP are:

• Michael King, Principal, Dodge City (KS) Middle School

During Mike King’s 32 years in education, his schools have been recognized with an Oklahoma Medal of Excellence and National Blue Ribbon, among other honors. He has also been individually recognized as the 2005 finalist for the Oklahoma Medal of Excellence Award Educational Administration and was a finalist for the 2005 Association of Professional Oklahoma Educators Foundation Award in Educational Administration. This success is inseparable from his commitment to advancing learning with technology and his firm belief that digital tools can help students unleash their creativity and construct knowledge. This belief provides the foundation for the Creating the Classrooms without Walls program, in which students participate in a universal learning experience, utilizing mobile tools to continually access and create multidimensional patterns of explanations of the world around them.

• Eric Sheninger, Principal, New Milford (NJ) High School 

Eric Sheninger is a rockstar among educators on Twitter, with more than 17,000 followers in his professional learning network. On that network, he shares a passion for fostering learning environments that are student-centered, collaborative, flexible, and prepare all learners to succeed in the 21st Century. Sheninger has emerged as an innovative leader in the use of social media and web 2.0 technology as tools to engage students, improve communications with stakeholders, and help educators grow professionally. Named one of the "20 to Watch" by the National School Boards Assocaition, Sheninger is coauthor of Communicating and Connecting With Social Media: Essentials for Principals, and he blogs regularly at Huffington Post, Connected Principals, and A Principal’s Reflections. A current focus of Sheninger’s efforts is a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) initiative at New Milford High School.

About NASSP
NASSP is the leading organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and all school leaders from across the United States and more than 45 countries around the world. The association provides research-based professional development and resources, networking, and advocacy to build the capacity of middle level and high school leaders to continually improve student performance. Reflecting its longstanding commitment to student leadership development as well, NASSP administers the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society, and National Association of Student Councils. For more information about NASSP, located in Reston, VA, visit www.nassp.org.