An East Valley principal has a lot to celebrate today!
Kristin Kinghorn just returned from a trip to Washington, D.C. where she was one of 41 elementary school principals honored with the National Association of Elementary School Principals' National Distinguished Principal Award.
"I was completely shocked, "explains Kinghorn. "We don't do it for the accolades or recognition. We truly do this because we believe in making school fun and engaging and preparing our kids for the world that awaits them. It was definitely a shocking surprise. I graciously accept the award, but this isn't something I do on my own. This is a job where I am surrounded by innovative teachers and great community and great parents and amazing kids."
In D.C., Mrs. Kinghorn says she attended focus groups, collaborated with principals from all over the country, and even got to meet Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, with whom she got to share some issues she feels teachers are facing right now.
"A lot of it wasn't even just here in Arizona, " Kinghorn says. "The big one is teacher shortages and how are we making sure the teaching profession is appealing and how do we partner with universities across the country to make sure this is a profession that is honorable."
Mrs. Kinghorn also mentioned that mental health among educators is an issue that needs to be addressed by the federal government as well.
Despite the growing number of challenges educators face, Mrs. Kinghorn says she and her staff at Chandler Unified still believe in the mission - to make sure kids are prepared for the future.
"They are living in this ever-changing world and I believe that it is our job as educators to help guide them and give them the skills necessary to make impactful changes, not just here in their community, but we are thinking globally. That's the world we live in...I have great people I work with and we can laugh together, be silly together, and we can take risks together because we never want to be that group that stands still...we want to break barriers and we want to change the world."