|  | | MESPA Home > Honors > MESPA Division Leadership Award > 2008 Awards |  | Jean Clark, Central Division
 | | recognized Jean Clark, principal of Mississippi Heights Elementary School, Sauk Rapids-Rice School District (ISD #47) |
Jean Clark was nominated for the Central MESPA Division Leadership Achievement Award by her peers. In making the nomination, Jean Weis-Clough (principal, Avon Elementary School, Avon, MN) said, “Jean has been involved in a leadership role within MESPA for several years. The members of Central Division would like to honor her for these years of service.”
Clark was elected by her Minnesota colleagues to the position of State Representative to the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) in 2004 and again in 2007. She has served as liaison between NAESP and MESPA, advising the NAESP Board of Directors concerning state recommendations on national education policies and programs.
In 2000 Jean was recognized as Minnesota’s National Distinguished Principal by MESPA. The National Distinguished Principals Program was established in 1984 as an annual event to honor exemplary elementary and middle level 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.
Clark participated in the Bush Leadership Program VIII in 1993-94. The Bush Leadership Fellows Program seeks accomplished, motivated individuals who are eager to prepare themselves for greater leadership responsibilities within their communities and professions. Applicants are invited to propose academic or self-designed learning experiences that will help them attain goals that they set for themselves. The program encourages applications that will expand fellows’ experiences beyond the familiar to learning environments that might be inaccessible without a fellowship.
To sum up her educational philosophy, Clark quotes the words of Helen Keller: “Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” She has been a member of MESPA for the past 16 years. Working with other members of MESPA, she has contributed to the overall effectiveness of the association through her leadership positions as NAESP State Representative, member of the MESPA Board of Directors, president of Central division, and member of the Minnesota School of Excellence and Membership committees.
Past honors and recognitions received by Clark include: 2000 Achievement in Education Award, St. Cloud Optimist Club; 1990 Excellence in Education Award, Thief River Falls Chamber of Commerce. She received her Ed. S. and M. Ed. Degrees from the University of North Dakota, and her B.S. degree from the University of Minnesota.
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