Thursday, Feb. 04 2010 5:44PM

LSHS assistant principal finalist for national award

Emily Jarrett, Journal Staff

When he nominated Jeff Meisenheimer for Assistant Principal of the Year in a regional competition, Lee’s Summit High School principal John Faulkenberry didn’t think much further ahead than that.

“I nominated him to the Greater Kansas City Principals Association award because I knew he was worthy of the honor,” Faulkenberry said. “When the board saw fit to make him Kansas City Assistant Principal of the Year, that made sense too. And I did think he had a very good opportunity to be named State Assistant Principal of the year, but I wasn’t really thinking this far.”

Last week, it was announced that Meisenheimer, an assistant principal at Lee’s Summit High School, had been named one of three finalists for the 2010 National Assistant Principal of the Year award.

“I’m extremely happy and surprised,” Meisenheimer said. “There were 51 other people vying for this so it was a bit of a shock.”

“This is a great recognition for Jeff,” Faulkenberry said. “And a tremendous reflection on LSHS.”

Meisenheimer said he is excited to be a finalist for the national award, but it isn’t just about him.

“This isn’t an individual award, it’s a school award,” he said. “It recognizes everything we do as a building – our student’s academic success, what our teachers do daily in the classroom, how our administration works together. It’s truly a recognition of our high school as a whole.”

According to the National Association of Secondary School Principals, selection criteria for the three finalists included collaborative leadership, curriculum, instruction and assessment and school personalization. On March 13, Meisenheimer will join the other finalists at the NASSP convention in Phoenix.

“While there, I’ll have to go through another interview process and give a presentation,” he said. “I’ll be speaking about collaborating for success, which is certainly an important part of LSHS and district policy.”

According to the NASSP, each finalist will receive $1,500 and the national winner will be awarded $5,000, which can be used for personal professional development or for a school improvement project.

The pool of finalists also includes Nathan T. McCann, of Flowing Wells High School, Tucson, Ariz., and Lisa A. Puccetti, of Southern High School Magnet Career Academy, Louisville, Ky.

“With Jeff, it’s not just words on paper,” Faulkenberry said. “There’s a lot of substance to what he says. He’s a great collaborator and very personable with the students. I’m proud of him.

“I don’t think he’s focused on winning, he’s just doing his everyday job.”

Whether he wins the top award or not, Meisenheimer said he feels very fortunate to have been nominated at all.

“I just plan to keep doing what I’m doing – trying to be the best assistant principal possible,” he said.

To reach Journal reporter Emily Jarrett, call 816-282-7018 or e-mail ejarrett@lsjournal.com.