School & District Management

New Jersey Educator Named National 2017 Assistant Principal of the Year

By Denisa R. Superville — April 12, 2017 2 min read
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The National Association of Secondary School Principals has chosen New Jersey Assistant Principal Brad Currie as its 2017 national Assistant Principal of the Year.

Currie, a school administrator for nearly a decade, has spent five years as assistant principal at Black River Middle School in Chester, N.J. He’s also the dean of students/supervisor of instruction.

A panel of education experts and principals, including former award winners, selected Currie from a group of three finalists. The other finalists were Derek Fialkiewicz, from Brian and Teri Cram Middle School in Las Vegas, Nev., and Michael Pflugrath, from South County High School in Lorton, Va.

The announcement was made during National Assistant Principals Week, which runs from April 10 to April 14.

Currie will receive his award in July during the joint national conference of the elementary and secondary schools principals’ associations in Philadelphia.

The National Association of Secondary School Principals highlighted Curry’s ability to bring together educators from across the globe for shared learning during his weekly Twitter #Satchat, which he co-founded in 2012 and still co-moderates.

The NAASP described Currie as a pioneer among school leaders in using Twitter for professional development purposes. He also co-authored “140 Twitter Tips for Educators: Get Connected, Grow Your Professional Learning Network, and Reinvigorate Your Career,” a how-to book on how educators can leverage social media.

He has also used social media to change the way the school communicates with parents and the community.

Currie has promoted the expansion of STEM opportunities at Black River Middle School, where he shepherded through a 1:1 Chromebook program. Teachers were encouraged to become Google-certified, and he led the effort to redesign learning spaces and introduce makerspaces, according to the NASSP.

Currie has also helped to foster a positive, nurturing school climate for the school’s students, the organization said.

JoAnn Bartoletti, NASSP’s executive director, lauded Currie as “a model of effective and visionary leadership.”

“Brad Currie’s commitment to making meaningful connections among faculty, students, and the community are part of what makes him a powerful multiplier of effective practice at his school and to other school leaders across the country,” she said in the announcement.

Photo caption: Brad Currie, the assistant principal of Black River Middle School in Chester, N.J., was chosen as the 2017 National Assistant Principal of the Year. -- Photo courtesy the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

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