Melanie Pealor, assistant principal at Putnam City West High School, has been named assistant principal of the year by the Oklahoma Association of Secondary School Principals (OASSP).

Pealor will be recognized as a state winner at the National Association of Secondary School Principals Convention in February. She will also be invited to attend the State and National Assistant Principals Forum and Awards dinner in Washington, D.C., in April. In addition, Pealor will receive a plaque and recognition at the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration in June.

"Melanie Pealor consistently initiates programs to improve the quality of education at Putnam City West, and does so with endless enthusiasm for both our staff and students. This is a richly deserved honor," says Buster Meeks, principal of Putnam City West.

Pealor was selected for the honor by past winners of the award who reviewed each candidate’s educational leadership, contributions to curriculum, instruction and assessment and other criteria. Letters of reference from principals, teachers, students, parents and community leaders were also considered by judges.

Pealor has a full schedule at Putnam City West. In addition to the routine duties of an assistant principal, Pealor coordinates the school’s site improvement committee, the High Schools That Work grant, and professional learning communities.

Pealor coordinates coaching of new Putnam City West faculty members through an intensive mentorship effort. Her doctoral studies on the topic of mentoring have extended her involvement with new teachers to a statewide mentorship pilot program, sponsored by the Oklahoma Education Consortium for Mentoring, which has begun pilot programs in the Putnam City Schools and other Oklahoma schools.

Pealor was instrumental in the first-ever offering of "Challenge Day" at Putnam City West earlier this year. Challenge Day is a program that inspires greater connection between students in order to create more inclusive and healthy school communities.

Earlier this year, Pealor obtained three grants for Putnam City West. A $25,000 grant will help the school hold a series of meetings with Hispanic parents about students’ academic success. A $20,000 grant will provide a translation program to translate websites and e-mail from English to Spanish. A $7,500 grant will help recruit and retain new teachers through professional development, mentoring and other activities.

Pealor has served at Putnam City West since she began there as an administrative intern in 1998. She became an assistant principal at the school in 2000. Before becoming an administrator, Pealor was a math and English teacher in the Moore Public Schools and Putnam City Schools.