Henry E. Lackey High School vice principal Richard Conley is Maryland's Assistant Principal of the Year. (Submitted photo)
Conley focuses on the best interests for students and is willing to take the time to assist staff members in need. For these reasons and more, Conley was recently named the 2010-11 Maryland Assistant Principal of the Year by the Maryland Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP).
The award honors outstanding school leaders who have succeeded in providing high-quality learning opportunities for students, and for making exemplary contributions to education.
Recipients are also selected for modeling personal excellence and professional growth, collaborative leadership, improving curriculum, instruction and assessment, and developing and fostering a positive learning environment where students have access to opportunities for success.
“Mr. Conley represents everything that is outstanding and great about Henry E. Lackey High School. This is an award that is shared by every stakeholder in this building and it demonstrates that Lackey is a school where good instruction is taking place due to the professionalism that is administered on a daily basis by Mr. Conley and his colleagues,” Principal James Short said.
Conley is an integral part of the school’s Advanced Placement (AP) and student advising/counseling committees in which staff developed the idea to hold student and parent information nights. He was also instrumental in developing Charger Time – a one-hour lunch initiative – which gives students’ access to academic and extracurricular options and teachers additional time to meet with department and staff members.
Conley credits the cohesive relationship among staff at Lackey and support from the school system and school community for his award. “I am extremely honored to be recognized as the Maryland Assistant Principal of the Year. This award is a reflection of the commitment that the Lackey High School community and Charles County Public Schools have demonstrated toward increasing academic achievement and providing a quality education for students,” he said.
As Maryland’s Assistant Principal of the Year, Conley is eligible for the national award. Finalists will be announced in January 2011 and the winner will be selected in February.
Conley was honored by the MASSP Oct. 20 during their fall conference, and will be recognized by the Board of Education later this school year.
Conley began his career with Charles County Public Schools in 2003 as a Spanish teacher at Westlake High School, and was named a vice principal at Lackey in 2008. He has a bachelor’s degree in foreign language education, and government and politics from the University of Maryland College Park, and earned his masters of science in administration in 2008 from McDaniel College.
For more information on the awards program and the MASSP, visit http://www.md-massp.org/.
Source: Charles County Public Schools