Additional Lindback honorees

The Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation is honoring seven Philadelphia School District principals with its Distinguished Principal Award.

This is the third year for the award, which recognizes principals who have made significant leadership and humanitarian contributions to students, staff, and the community. The foundation, which is known for its awards for excellent university teaching, also honors exemplary district teachers. Those winners will be announced in May

The principals will be honored Tuesday at the Prince Music Theater. Each will receive a $15,000 prize. In addition to Stephen Brandt, principal of Roxborough High School, the winners are the following six principals.

The following information was provided by the district from excerpts of each winner's nominating letter:

Kensington Creative and Performing Arts High School

Debora Carrera continually reminds us that we spend more hours a day together than we do with our families, and, as a result, we need to treat one another with the same respect and understanding as we would our own family members.

Many of our students have and continue to face untenable personal hardships. It is because of the culture of family Mrs. Carrera has created at KCAPA that our students relentlessly strive towards building upon their learning lives. Mrs. Carrera has fostered a place for students in Kensington to learn, grow, be safe and, most important, feel cared about.

I have found Mrs. Carrera to be dedicated, nurturing, understanding and most of all an excellent leader.

High School of the Future

Rosalind Chivis' enthusiasm for the success of each learner inspires and motivates others to invest their time, effort and talent in high quality learning for all students.

Mrs. Chivis fosters an environment of mutual respect and open communication. She has an open-door policy that allows educators and learners to speak with her anytime of the day.

Mrs. Chivis has been the Chief Learner at School of the Future (SOF) for the past four years. In that short amount of time, she has transformed our school from average to extraordinary. In the beginning, Mrs. Chivis created and communicated a clear vision and set goals to reflect what she expected from her educators and learners.

Andrew Jackson Elementary School

As the principal of Andrew Jackson School, Lisa Ciaranca-Kaplan's presence is felt as soon as you enter our building, walk through our hallways and classrooms. She has a strong rapport with her students, teachers, staff, parents and the community.

Mrs. Ciaranca-Kaplan offers valuable insight into the challenges teachers face everyday in their classroom. She is a model and a guide to teachers due to her strong knowledge base in education and instruction.

Mrs. Ciaranca-Kaplan has created a welcoming culture that recognized the need for all parents and students to feel safe and have equal access to her and to all school resources. Mrs. Ciaranca-Kaplan has an open-door policy with everyone, and shares a smile with every person she encounters.

Joseph Greenberg Elementary School

Gina Hubbard encourages her students to achieve as high as they can. She is uncompromising in her efforts to provide quality education for her students and never loses sight of the students and their needs.

Ms. Hubbard is progressive in her thinking and has a strong sense of purpose. She encourages teachers to use research-based strategies and apply the best pedagogical practices to move students toward academic excellence. Ms. Hubbard urges teachers to infuse technology and rigor into instruction.

Ms. Hubbard's intelligence, drive, sense of humor, commitment to excellence, and collaborative spirit make her an incredible principal. Ms. Hubbard is a model of life-long learning. She strives to improve her practice and encourage faculty members to stretch their professional repertoire…"

John F. McCloskey Elementary School

During her first year at McCloskey, Ms. Pressley guided our parents and helped them develop activities and programs for the kids. Bingo night, family movie night, dances and successful fund-raisers are now McCloskey staples.

She has very high expectations for each student and strives to provide them with the education and skills needed to become lifelong learners. She is very reflective and has created an atmosphere aligned with data driven decisions and a common vision for the success of all students.

If Ms. Pressley is not in a classroom reading a book, in the cafeteria opening a fruit can or talking to a parent, she is looking for a new way to facilitate learning for each student. Her enthusiasm, professionalism and dedication to children are seen each day.

High School for Creative and Performing Arts

Johnny Whaley is the biggest cheerleader for our students, and challenges them to surpass the accomplishments of their predecessors. He celebrates their performances, victories and successes.

Mr. Whaley knows that the real world is challenging and has a high demand for skilled individuals to meet any challenge. This is why he prepares us for the world outside of high school starting in our ninth grade year. Mr. Whaley told us on the very first day we attended CAPA High School that he expected nothing less than academic and artistic excellence from every single student.

Mr. Whaley is highly regarded by the parents and guardians of our students and by the CAPA community at large. He is a tireless, respectful, and inspiring leader.