Honor Administrator

Members of KMEA have a special opportunity to nominate an administrator as a candidate for the KMEA Honor Administrator Award. This annual award recognizes those administrators who have demonstrated continuing leadership in developing, improving, and supporting music education within a wider commitment to arts education, i.e., music, theater, visual arts, and dance.

Music educators are aware of the importance of principals and superintendents in creating and maintaining successful music programs. School district policy coupled with administrative management decisions pertaining to budget, scheduling, and facilities often have a long-range impact on arts education. Hence, administrators are key players in molding music education curricula. The Honor Administrator Award is an attempt to encourage and recognize the on-going administrative support of arts education in local school districts of Kansas.

The award will be presented during the In-Service Workshop in February. The recipient will receive additional recognition through press releases to appropriate news media and professional journals, including a feature article to appear in a later issue of the Kansas Music Review. Current KMEA members are urged to submit names of candidates to the Honor Administrator Committee by October 1. A KMEA member or members must make nominations, but involvement from throughout the nominee’s school district is encouraged.

Qualifications

Nominees should be exceptionally skillful within their administrative unit, showing special support for the arts as an indispensable part of the school curriculum. Indicators of an administrator’s commitment to arts education might include personal attitude and philosophy, program development and improvement, sensitivity to the special needs of space, scheduling, and equipment, leadership in providing opportunities for professional growth of teachers, and leadership in providing local community and financial support.

Nominating Procedure

Any KMEA member or group of members may nominate an administrator for the Honor Administrator Award. Additional involvement by other persons in the nominee’s school district is encouraged.

The nomination application should include: the completed Nomination Form, nominee’s biographical information, nominee’s professional experience (including years in present position), degrees earned, professional and civic organizations, and honors receiveda description of the school system’s music program such as resources, number of students and teachers, etc.; and a description of any unique features or characteristics of the arts/music program within the building, district, or community.

The application may also include letters of endorsement and clippings of pertinent articles, photographs, or other sources which detail the nominee’s distinctive contributions to the field of music education.

All nominations must include the name, address, and phone number of the individual KMEA member(s) submitting the application. Nominations must be postmarked on or before October 1.

Award

The KMEA Vice President will serve as the Chairman of the Honor Administrator Award Committee. Copies of all nominations received by the Vice President as of the nomination deadline will be forwarded to the Honor Administrator Award Committee. The selection committee shall consist of the KMEA Executive Council (KMEA President, Vice President, President-Elect, and Executive Director).

The award will be presented during the In-Service Workshop. The recipient will receive a plaque from KMEA, a feature article in the Kansas Music Review, and press releases to appropriate news media and professional journals.