Joleen DeLaHunt, principal at Menahga Elementary School, Menahga Public Schools

"Vision without action is merely a dream; action without vision just passes the time; vision with action can change the world.” -- Joel Arthur Barker

In her principalship, Joleen DeLaHunt follows the philosophy of Joel Arthur Barker: “Vision without action is merely a dream; action without vision just passes the time; vision with action can change the world.” She also is inspired by the philosophy of Anatole France (French novelist, 1844-1924): “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.”

DeLaHunt believes: “We must dream about what kind of school we want to be a part of. Then we craft a plan for achieving that goal. We must believe in ourselves as effective educators who can positively impact the lives of children. Most importantly, we must believe that all children can and will learn.”

DeLaHunt was nominated by Linda Schmidt, principal at Bagley Elementary School in the Bagley public school district, who stated: “I recommend Joleen DeLaHunt as an outstanding leader. Joleen has a proven record of student achievement, leadership in her building for the past nine years and plays a strong role in the Northern Division Principals Association. Joleen has been President-Elect, President and has served on many committees during her years as a member.”

“Joleen was one of the first people at my first Northern Division meeting to become a friendly face, someone with whom I found a quick and lasting trust,” Schmidt continued. “I admire her sense of what is right for kids, how she handles situations with students, families and staff. I often contact her for advice and direction.” 

“Her school made AYP last year after not making it the prior year. With her leadership, staff and students worked on many of their "trouble" areas and made learning better for kids. Joleen is the ultimate professional and very deserving of this leadership award!” Schmidt concluded.

Among her most significant career accomplishments, DeLaHunt highlights the following four items.

1.     Commitment to district mission: The Mission of Menahga District #821 is to provide opportunities for all students to become active life-long learners with the necessary competencies, skills, understandings, and values to contribute to and succeed in a changing society.  “The mission statement has been the impetus for the decisions made at Menahga Elementary. As an instructional leader, it has been my goal to create a dynamic, collaborative, data-driven team of teachers and support staff that work with children as individuals each day. This team of professionals is deeply committed toward high academic achievement in a safe, comfortable school atmosphere.”

2.     Research-based strategies:  “As an instructional leader, it has been my goal to provide each teacher with the necessary tools to meet these high academic goals for students and challenge each teacher to be the best he or she can be. Since the successful implementation of Reading First in 2004, we have incorporated research-based strategies in our daily teaching and have sustained this rigorous data-driven instruction. Creating this atmosphere for lifelong, reflective, professional learning has been a priority and personal passion for me as a principal.”

3.     Integration of technology and professional learning communities (PLCs): “The integration of technology has been a priority at Menahga Elementary. Every classroom in our building uses a SMART board as a tool to challenge children in the content areas. All teachers, including preK, are actively involved in a monthly PLC to successfully integrate technology with all subjects. It’s amazing to see these children actively engaged in higher level thinking strategies through technology.”

4.     Collaboration of preK programs: “The collaboration of all preK programs in our building has been a real asset for our children. We now have our preschool programs in the same classroom area with teachers team teaching, sharing students, and teachers collaborating together with professional development and team planning. Our numbers are very high in these programs. I’m so proud of the teaching staff’s hard work and dedication to meeting the diverse needs of our children.”

DeLaHunt has been active in MESPA and has served as: Northern division Membership Committee representative (currently); Northern division president (2008-2009); Northern division president-elect (2007-2008); Northern division secretary (2005-2007).