Matt Beal has been the Sunset Elementary School principal for the past three years.
Cheney School District Principal Matt Beal has been selected by elementary school principals in the Northeast Washington region as one of 18 distinguished principals in the state for the 2014-2015 school year.
According to a Dec. 18 press release, Beal will now be considered for the Distinguished Principal state award, with the winner serving as the nominee for the National Distinguished Principals Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP).
In her nomination letter, Cheney Middle School's assistant principal, Nicole Nanny, said Beal "epitomizes what it means to be an education leader."
"From riding school buses to maintain(ing) calm, to providing anchored, thoughtful, growth-minded feedback and guidance for teachers, Matt is a rare gift to the principalship - a man of integrity, hard work, compassion and servant leadership," Nanny wrote.
Beal received his bachelor's degree in education and his masters in school administration from Whitworth University. He has been a principal for five years, the last three years at the Cheney School District's Sunset Elementary School in Airway Heights.
District Superintendent Dr. Debra Clemens said Beal works to build relationships not only with students and staff but also community program leaders such as CHAS, which has operated a school-based health clinic at Sunset Elementary since spring 2012 and the Airway Heights Parks and Recreation Department.
"Matt, with his staff, provides programs that are best for students, from a healthy breakfast for all children, to focused instructional practices in the classroom to an after school Trailblazers program," Clemens said in the release. "Sunset Elementary is a great place for students and their families thanks to Matt's leadership."
The regional, state and national Distinguished Principals Programs serve to honor exemplary elementary and middle school principals who set the pace, character, and quality of the education children receive during their early school years.
One principal is chosen annually from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Principals representing private K-8 schools, Department of Defense Dependents' Schools, and the U.S. Department of State Overseas Schools are also recognized.
Candidates for the Distinguished Principal award are nominated by their peers in their home states, and the final selection for each state's NDP is made by the NAESP state affiliate. In Washington state, the final selection is made the Elementary School Principals Association of Washington (ESPAW) and the Association of Washington School Principals.
The Cheney School District encompasses the cities of Airway Heights, Cheney and a large surrounding rural/suburban area and growing industrial development on the West Plains, and serves approximately 4,350 students in Cheney High School, Three Springs High School, two middle schools, five elementary schools and a parent partnership program.
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