LEONARDTOWN, Md. - Dr. Michael J. Martirano, superintendent of schools for St. Mary's County, was named Maryland's Superintendent of the Year by the Public School Superintendents Association of Maryland (PSSAM) at the PSSAM conference retreat dinner held October 23, in Ocean City, Md. The award is presented annually at the conference to recognize a chief administrator who exemplifies excellence and achievement in educational leadership.
"When Dr. Martirano became superintendent, he recognized the needs of the school system and welcomed the challenge to take a good school system and make it a great school system," wrote Mr. William Mattingly, chairman of the Board of Education of St. Mary's County, in his letter nominating Dr. Martirano for this award. "He understood the basic principals needed i.e., that school systems are about people and providing the opportunity to students, one student at a time. It is about recognizing and supporting teachers and also about the community."
During a recent visit to St. Mary's County, Dr. Nancy S. Grasmick, state superintendent of schools, credited Dr. Martirano for the school systems "truly stunning" initiatives and continued progress. "It was evident in all of the information shared that critical decision-making and strategic planning is taking place at every important moment in the St. Mary's County Public School System," she concluded.
Martirano will now go on to compete against other state superintendents throughout the United States for the 2009 National Superintendent of the Year award sponsored by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). AASA will announce the winner in February 2009, at its National Conference on Education in San Francisco, California.