A Highland administrator is in the running to be the 2018 Elementary Principal of the Year from the School Administrators of Iowa (SAI).

Jane O’Leary was chosen as the Grant Wood Area Education Association Representative for the statewide award.

O’Leary is heading into her 24th year working for Highland, her 10th as elementary principal. O’Leary says, “My absolute true love is the education of children and I’m not just talking reading, math, science, that kind of thing, but the whole child. Their emotional well-being, their ability to work with others, self-help on their own, that kind of thing. And being at Highland this long I’ve been able to move through and take on some leadership roles and move into a leadership position. That’s just a great experience.”

O’Leary describes receiving the news of being recognized, “At first I was just a little bit shocked then it felt good. I mean teachers and educators they work really hard and often times for not a lot of appreciation. Whether I end up being elementary principal of the year or not, the nomination felt fantastic.”

To be considered for the state award O’Leary had to send a resume to SAI in June. A committee narrows down the pool of applicants to three in February. Those three principals will be interviewed and the 2018 Elementary Principal of the Year will be announced in March.