OCPS announces Stellar Award finalists for Principal and Assistant Principal of the Year
OCPS is proud to announce our finalists for the 2023-24 Principal and Assistant Principal of the Year. The winner of each category will be announced at the Stellar Awards Feb. 2, 2024, at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort.
The finalists are…
Rebecca Watson
Principal, East River High
A few weeks into Rebecca Watson’s first year as high school principal, Hurricane Ian flooded Riverdale Elementary. Watson opened the doors of her school to accommodate a second set of students and staff, creating “Two Rivers, One Family.” Her leadership turned a challenging situation into a positive opportunity to strengthen the culture and resiliency of her school. Watson leads by example, from doing pushups in the Red Zone on Friday night to playing UNO at lunch. She makes her employees and students feel loved and supported by participating in as many events as she can, even out of town. Watson’s schools show vast reductions in turnover and increases in measures of school climate. She pours herself into students and pushes students to succeed academically and in life.
Melanie Simmons
Principal, Rock Lake Elementary
Melanie Simmons is known for helping struggling schools achieve their potential. She has helped move Rock Lake Elementary from a D to a B and an unofficial A in 2022-2023 by removing student barriers and building staff capacity. As an assistant principal, she also helped Ivey Lane Elementary move from an F to a B in partnership with the School Transformation Office. Simmons said that the devastation of her son’s sudden death in 2021 has been her catalyst to bring change. She is inspired when she sees her teachers grow in their teaching skills and seeing children grow in self-confidence. A major focus of her work has been building school culture and empowering teachers. She has also added fine arts and science to Rock Lake, resulting in better engagement and student performance.
Lindsey Smestad
Principal, Sadler Elementary
Lindsey Smestad is a passionate principal who has made Sadler Elementary a place where students and teachers enjoy being each day. A leading mentor and instructional leader in our district, Smestad builds rich school cultures and climates that support staff, include the community and helps students feel valued. Sadler is the district elementary school with the highest percentage of English Languages Learners, who hail from 20 countries and speak eight different languages. Smestad has created a safe and inclusive learning environment for students and a supportive, collaborative workplace for teachers and staff. She has led Sadler Elementary to its highest school grade since the Florida Standards Assessment began in 2015. Her staff is united behind her in their goal of creating lifelong learners.
Adriene Anderson
Assistant Principal, Pineloch Elementary
Since starting out as a substitute teacher 20 years ago, Adriene Anderson has been drawn to leading and encouraging students. She has focused on making effective academic improvements, especially in the areas of math and science. At Ivey Lane Elementary, she helped launch the Mini Black Nurses Program, the first of its kind in the district. She also helped the school increase ELA proficiency. In a previous role, she helped Pine Hills Elementary increase math learning gains from 36% to 62%. One of Anderson’s strengths has been in engaging families and community partners to create incentives and share resources to supercharge learning.
Charisse Hurdle
Assistant Principal, Rolling Hills Elementary
Both at Rolling Hills Elementary and in her previous role as assistant principal at Riverside Elementary, Charisse Hurdle has helped improve pedagogical practices. She has demonstrated leadership skills and an ability to help transform low-performing, fragile schools. At Riverside, she had a key role in the school’s increase from a low D to a high C. She helped re-establish a PTA after a 16-year absence, and started a schoolwide student recognition program to increase motivation. In addition to being hands-on with students, she is a fantastic mentor to fellow assistant principals and teacher leaders, guiding them, sharing knowledge, and offering unwavering support. Hurdle, a former juvenile probation officer, also volunteers her time developing future leaders in an after-school mentoring program for girls.
Bridget Bresk
Assistant Principal, Windermere High
In nearly 20 years as an administrator, Bresk has been guided by the philosophy that every student matters. Throughout her tenure with OCPS, she has gone the distance to ensure students have the tools they need to excel, meet their graduation requirements and continue their education after high school. As an assistant principal at Lake Buena Vista High, she conducted home visits to welcome students to the newly opened school. She also worked one-on-one with students, families and counselors to demystify the high-school system for freshmen, English Language Learners and others, as well as promoting acceleration opportunities. Bresk’s instructional leadership helped Lake Buena Vista High achieve a 93% graduation rate.