School & District Management

North Dakota Educator Named Assistant Principal of the Year

By Corey Mitchell — February 29, 2016 1 min read
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The National Association of Secondary School Principals selected Holly Ripley of West Fargo High School in West Fargo, N.D., as the 2016 National Assistant Principal of the Year.

Judges praised Ripley for helping lead her 1,400-student school through frequent principal turnover and an enrollment spike caused by the oil boom in North Dakota.

During six years on the job, Ripley has developed a system to provide emotional and academic support to grieving students and helped create a data-based tool that helps staff identify academically struggling students.

“Mrs. Ripley is passionate about each of her students and works directly with teachers and families to provide support and resources whenever possible,” West Fargo Principal Jennifer Fremstad said in a statement released by NASSP. “Her relationships with students are professional, encouraging, and respectful. They trust that they can count on Mrs. Ripley to provide support, to provide expectations, and to help them meet their goals while in school and their post-secondary goals.”

Ripley was one of three finalists for the honor. The others were: David Beiler of Jenks High Schools in Jenks, Okla., and Lesley Corner of Camden High School in Camden, S.C.

Photo: Courtesy of National Association of Secondary School Principals

A version of this news article first appeared in the District Dossier blog.