As schools continue to settle in following the winter break, I extend to you and all principals across the nation our best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2016. This year is a special one for NASSP—2016 marks the 100th anniversary of NASSP’s founding by a small group of principals who gathered in Detroit to create a network of support for school leaders facing common challenges. This mission has remained a constant through a century’s worth of events and evolution. The effects of the Great Depression, World War II, the “happy days” of the 1950s, the civil rights movement, the Cold War, the digital revolution, and 9/11 all reverberated in schoolhouses. They prompted school leaders to provide reassurance and optimize teachable moments and they worked to build the future one student at a time.

During 2016, NASSP will take an occasional glance back at our proud 100-year history. But more important, the anniversary occasions us to renew our mission for a new day—to ensure both NASSP and the principalship thrive well into the organization’s new century.

nassp_100_years_logo2And we want the celebration to begin with you. We are launching an #NASSP100 social media contest to highlight the many reasons principals are proud of the work they do. Take a photo of yourself holding a sheet of paper or a white board finishing the sentence “I am proud to be a principal because…” and share your source of pride on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Be sure to include #NASSP100 on the paper/white board and in your social media post. We will gather and post all of the images in a Facebook album and award prizes to the most-liked images. (Click here for contest details.)

Today’s principals are heirs to a rich history of leadership built by the generations of principals who preceded us. Yet, I know that with your continued participation in NASSP, our organization’s and our profession’s best years lie ahead. Thank you for being a part of the celebration, and here’s to the next 100 years!

About the Author

JoAnn Bartoletti is the Executive Director at NASSP.

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