State award for FHS’s Hatfield
Laicee Hatfield, Farragut High School’s new curriculum director, has been named Tennessee Assistant Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
“I’m very honored,” Hatfield said. “I’m very excited. There were several well-deserving assistant principals out there.
“I’m just honored they have chosen me,” she added.
Hatfield received the award during NASSP’s national conference, which was held July 16-19 in Boston, Massachusetts. The organization held the celebration for the Assistant Principals of the Year for each state on July 17, Hatfield said.
“We’re really excited about having Laicee here at Farragut High School, said then FHS principal Ryan Siebe, who has since been promoted to Knox County Schools’ Secondary Staffing supervisor. “She brings an incredible skill set and a great attitude.
“We know that she will help continue our great tradition of academic excellence,” he added.
Siebe noted FHS already had award-winning teachers on staff, which Hatfield is joining.
“I think she is going to be a great addition to the team,” he added.
NAASP announced she won the East Tennessee Assistant Principal of the Year award in October. The three regional winners then continued with the application process for the state award, which was announced in December.
“From what I’ve seen here, she has incredible knowledge of her job. She’s efficient, she’s flexible;,she’s a quick learner and wants to understand what’s going on,” Siebe said.
Hatfield said the award means “were moving students in the right direction. We’re focusing on making sure students are ready for success post high school, wha-tever that success may look like.”
She noted Knox County also had the state Principal of the Year, which went to Powell High School executive principal Dr. Chad Smith.
“It’s nice knowing some of the great leadership skills that Knox County has,” Hatfield said. “They really produce high-quality administrators. I’d say Knox County was very well-represented across the state.”
This is Hatfield’s 15th year in education. She started in 2004-2005 at West High School as a chemistry teacher.
She then taught chemistry at Central High School from 2005 to 2012, was an administrator under principal Mike Reynolds at FHS during the 2012-2013 school year and was curriculum principal at Karns High School from 2013 until last spring.
Laicee also worked for Tennessee Department of Education, “helping grow instruction leaders across the state during the 2017-18 school year. She went into schools to help them become accredited through advanced education.
Hatfield added she hopes her award also stemmed from her dedication to her students.”
According to NAASSP’s website, each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Office of Overseas Schools, and the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity selected one assistant principal to represent their state.
State winners were selected from applications submitted to the state associations.
“Each state’s selection process varied,” the site stated.
According to NAASSP, Hatfield was chosen for “collaborative leadership to be implemented successfully. Leaders must build positive relationships, share decision-making power and handle conflicts in a constructive manner with all stakeholders.”
