SPHS administrator honored

Laurie Wood named Maine’s Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year.

SOUTH PORTLAND — Laurie Wood, assistant principal at South Portland High School, has been named Maine’s Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year for 2012, the Maine Principals’ Association announced last week.

Wood will be honored by the MPA at its annual awards banquet at its Spring Conference on April 26, 2012. She will also be recognized by the National Association of Secondary School Principals at a three-day program to be held in Washington, D.C., in April 2012. The recognition program, sponsored by Virco, will include professional development activities, networking opportunities with honorees from the other 49 states and a black-tie dinner and awards program.

Wood received the award based on her accomplishments as a collaborative educational leader, her leadership role in the supervision and evaluation of teachers, her work with data driven, student-centered programs as well as the development of a Behavioral RTI program for South Portland’s students.

In announcing Wood’s selection as 2012 Assistant Principal of the Year, MPA Executive Director Dick Durost noted, “Ms. Wood’s collaborative leadership style, with a focus on student achievement, epitomizes the very best qualities of those who serve in the role of assistant principal in Maine’s secondary schools. Her leadership in such important issues as truancy, school completion and dropout prevention, as well as her work in implementing the Behavioral RTI Program at South Portland High School, has made a true impact at the school.”

Wood received her Bachelor of Arts in English in 1997, her master of arts in American and New England studies in 2003 and is currently working on a certificate of advanced studies in educational leadership from the University of Southern Maine.

Prior to her tenure as assistant principal at South Portland High School, she served as an educational technician in the behavioral program at the school from 1995-1998 and as an English teacher from 1998-2007. She lives in North Yarmouth with her husband Scott and daughter Shoshanna.