|  | | MESPA Home > Press Room |  | Jolene Jans Landwer Selected 2007 National Distinguished Principal
5/14/2007 9:00 AM(St. Paul, MN, May 14, 2007) – Jolene Jans Landwer, principal of Marble and Van Dyke Elementary Schools in the Greenway School District (Minnesota ISD #316), and a member of the Minnesota Elementary School Principals’ Association (MESPA), is Minnesota’s 2007 National Distinguished Principal (NDP). The U.S. Department of Education and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) jointly sponsor the NDP program, with corporate sponsorship by AIG Retirement. “Research results prove what school communities know from experience -- successful schools depend on dedicated instructional leaders,” said Vincent Ferrandino, past NAESP executive director. “This honor represents our deep appreciation to a few of those who are committed to the academic, social, and emotional development of school children.”
“I am proud to be one of hundreds of Minnesota elementary principals who are fortunate to work in a profession that has the ability to change the world,” said Landwer. “It is with a sincere sense of honor and privilege that I represent this group of professional, dedicated, and determined individuals as their 2007 National Distinguished Principal.” (To read more about Landwer and the successful programs and practices
implemented by her NDP peers, click here
to visit the NAESP Web site.)
“MESPA is honored to be represented by Jolene Landwer,” said P. Fred Storti, MESPA executive director. “Jolene was nominated by her staff and community, and selected by her fellow principals through a statewide search process conducted by MESPA following criteria set by NAESP and the U.S. Department of Education,” Storti continued. Honorees must be active principals of schools where programs are designed to meet the academic and social needs of all students and where there are firmly established community ties with parents and local business organizations.
“Jolene’s nomination to this distinguished award began with a motion and unanimous vote by her Northeast region principal colleagues,” according to David J. Wangen, principal at Churchill Elementary in Cloquet, and president of the Northeast MESPA Division. “It was a very powerful experience to witness the amount of support Jolene has from her colleagues. The theme of what Jolene Landwer is all about has been echoed by numerous people I have spoken to. The theme centers around hard work, dedication, and respect.”
Landwer’s school was validated as a Minnesota School of Excellence in 2005, and also received recognition that year as a National No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School. In noting those honors, Greenway Schools Superintendent Rochelle Van Den Heuvel said, “There are many dedicated professionals in education today. There are also whose who, because of their commitment to education and students, stand out as exceptional leaders. Jolene Landwer is truly an exceptional leader. Her enthusiasm and positive attitude are contagious. She approaches each challenge with purpose and energy.”
And in the words of Mary Kay Jacobson, a community member served by the Greenway Schools, “Jolene Landwer is a true gift to education – especially the education of the young in this small, rural region of  | | A proud school honors its principal with this page from the 2008 Greenway Elementary School yearbook. |
northern Minnesota. Jolene’s unrelenting enthusiasm permeates the two schools that she directs from the teachers to the janitors, and from the brand new kindergartner to the fourth grader who she send off to middle school with an impressive elementary education.”
Landwer feels that the three most significant accomplishments of her career in the principalship are: developing team leaders, Project Read, and obtaining a comprehensive school reform grant.
On developing team leaders, she said: “I am so proud of my team, because they not only understand but embrace my courage of conviction, passion for an equal educational opportunity for all, sense of adventure, energy, enthusiasm, hope and humor, but they are willing to step out on their growing edge knowing that I will be there to support and encourage them.”
On Project Read, she said: “We maintain that ‘Getting to the starting line (kindergarten) is three-quarters of the battle!’ The elementary staff, with direction from our core community team, continue an eight year tradition of educational outreach and activities toward educating our students, parents, and community about the findings of brain development research and the critical importance of reading to infants and preschoolers.”
On obtaining a comprehensive school reform grant, she said: “This funding has allowed us to dramatically shift our reading instructional delivery to better meet the needs of all of our students, whether they struggle or soar. It has provided intensive on-site teacher training in reading and technology (over a three-year period), thousands of books for our libraries, and cutting edge state-of-the-art technology to equip two computer labs and provide that same technology for every classroom and every teacher.”
The NDP program was established in 1984 to honor exemplary elementary and middle school principals who set the pace, character, and quality of education children receive during their early school years. The program highlights the fundamental importance of the school principal in achieving educational excellence for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students and reinforces their continued leadership in helping children develop a lifelong love of learning. One NDP principal is chosen annually from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The other MESPA finalists for this honor were Sally Berg, principal at Murray County Central Elementary School, Slayton; and Doug Schleif, principal at Pearson Elementary, Shakopee. “All three NDP finalists are outstanding examples of elementary school principals in Minnesota. They are held in high regard and recognized for their professional strength, and leadership abilities by their communities and peers,” said Storti.
MESPA is the professional association of Minnesota’s elementary and middle level principals. With the vision to “be the premiere resource for preparing today’s principals for tomorrow and a strong leading voice for public education” and a statewide membership over 950 principals, MESPA has represented Minnesota’s principals since 1950. MESPA is affiliated with the National Association of Elementary School Principals and its 29,500 members nationwide.
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