Pressroom
November 15, 2006
Hillsborough Principal Wins $10,000 Award
Council for Educational Change Bestows Prestigious 4th Annual Leonard Miller Principal Leadership Award to Winner Linda Geller
Hillsborough County Principal, Linda V. Geller of West Tampa Elementary, is the recipient of the $10,000 Leonard Miller Principal Leadership Award presented annually by the Council for Educational Change (CEC), Florida’s Educational Think Tank.
The award is presented in honor of the late Leonard Miller, founder of the Council for Educational Change and the Chair of the South Florida Annenberg Challenge, the Council’s predecessor organization.
Mrs. Geller was one of three finalists. The announcement was made today by Steve Saiontz, Council Chair, who presented her with a $10,000 check before a room full of dignitaries including Commissioner of Education John Winn, Education Chancellor Cheri Yecke, State Board of Education Chair Phil Handy and Florida Secretary of State Sue Cobb in the Bank United Center at the University of Miami.
Mrs. Geller was chosen to receive the top award in recognition for transforming West Tampa Elementary from a "D" to a "B" school in three years. Some 92% of West Tampa’s students qualify for a free or reduced price lunch. Among the changes Mrs. Geller made are: instituting an attendance program which has led to a 96% attendance rate and creating a special reward committee that developed and monitors a school wide discipline plan which has resulted in a dramatic decrease in referrals. She also instituted a mentoring/tutoring program serving more than 100 students and built a cadre of more than a dozen business partners.
"Leonard Miller believed that: if every child can get a quality education, every child can succeed," said Dr.Elaine Liftin, President & Executive Director of the Council. "Linda Geller not only believes that, she acts on that belief every day for every one of her students."
At the award ceremony Mrs. Geller was surprised with video-taped congratulations from her students, staff, district leaders, Superintendent of Schools Mary Ellen Elia, Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio and many City of Tampa employees who work as mentors at her school. Mrs. Geller guests included: Richard Geller, husband; Jacqueline Geller, daughter; Ashley Cabrera, daughter; Raul Cabrera, son-in-law; Carson Cabrera, grandson; Justin McNulty, family friend; Joan Altshuler, Reading Coach; Maria Inman, ESOL teacher; and Joanne Hastings, Language Arts teacher.
The two other finalists, Alejandro Perez, former principal of Comstock Elementary in Miami-Dade County and Nongongoma Majova Seanne, former principal of Eugene Butler Middle School in Duval County, each received $5,000.
Award nominations stemmed from a pool of 300 principals who have participated in Council programs. Nominations were screened by a committee of education experts from around the state and each of the three finalists underwent an on-site interview conducted by education and business leaders.
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