information from Highline Public Schools

The Washington Association of Secondary School Principals (WASSP) named Principal Jenni Maughan as the South Sound Region Principal of the Year for 2016. Maughan is in her sixth year leading the Health Sciences & Human Services High School, one of three small schools located on the Evergreen Campus.

Maughan was a contender for state principal of the year due to her dedicated work on closing the achievement gap at a school with 88% students of color and 83% below the poverty line.

"Congratulations on a well-deserved honor," said Highline Superintendent Susan Enfield. "Jenni is a dedicated leader who is resourceful and determined to help students and teachers achieve their potential. She and her staff truly know every student by name, strength, and need."

Health Sciences & Human Services High School won six consecutive Washington Achievement Awards (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) and two School of Distinctions Awards (2012 and 2014). Between 2011 and 2015, the suspension rate dropped from 30 to 0, and the graduation rate increased from 71% to 85%, higher than the district average of 70%.

Her nomination credits the school's academic success to strong relationships with each student and a number of programs Maughan spearheaded and supported, including:

• Mandatory, structured study halls on Tuesdays and Saturdays for students with poor grades
• Weekly attendance conferences to address truancy issues
• Monthly student celebrations of success
• Partnerships with youth violence prevention initiatives
• Use of Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS)
• Standards-based grading
• Connecting students to wrap-around social services in community
• Student clubs and supports
• Credit retrieval contracts
• Each student connected to an advisor/mentor to champion social, emotional, and academic needs

Under Maughan's leadership, "academic achievement is emphasized over everything but the social, emotional, and physical well-being of the child, as connections with the heart are intertwined with academic success," according to her award nomination.