Bucharest, July 09, 2024. AVE (Association for Values in Education) is extending the registration for the 2024 Principal of the Year Awards Gala. Thus, principals and deputy principals of Romanian public high schools, schools and kindergartens can still fill in the application form until July 15 (23.59). The form is available online.
All principals and deputy principals in office in the 2023 – 2024 school year are eligible to apply, except those who have been honoured at previous editions of the Gala. Also, anyone who knows a high achieving school principal can recommend them for entry by filling out an online form.
The Principals of the Year Awards Gala is an opportunity to demonstrate that the principal is a catalyst for change, providing a vital impetus to the educational community and a source of inspiration for other headteachers. With each edition of the Gala, AVE facilitates partnerships between schools and businesses, schools and NGOs, and amplifies the impact of education in everyone’s life, beyond the immediate school space.
“The effects of this event, which celebrates and rewards, for the eighth time in a row, the Principals of the Year, are felt first and foremost at community level. The finalist and award-winning school principals have become inspirational role models and their ideas have travelled beyond the classroom, influencing practices at local, regional and national levels. Today, we can say with certainty that by showcasing the achievements and highlighting school principals with visible results over time, they produce significant changes in education, butterfly effect, at all levels, by involving different actors in society“, says Andreea Nistor, AVE Executive Director.
The eighth edition of the Awards Gala will take place on October 24, at the Bucharest National Opera, when 4 school principals will be honoured for the categories Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Equal Opportunities, as well as the grand prize, Principal of the Year 2024.
The Innovation category brings to the forefront achievements that have unlocked processes, involved actors outside the school to achieve objectives, and have considered the use of technology or elements of innovation for visible learning for students.
The Entrepreneurship category targets demonstrated skills in resource and budget management, identifying and attracting additional income, and seeing opportunities where there were challenges.
The Equal Opportunities category is dedicated to actions that have helped ensure every pupil participates in school and that the most vulnerable children are integrated and progress at school.
The title of Principal of the Year 2024 is awarded to one of the finalists of the first three award categories who exceeds the expected level of a category and fulfils cross-cutting criteria: has a clear vision of the direction in which he/she is leading the school, demonstrates creativity, communication and negotiation skills, resilience in the face of challenges, is an inspirational leader, knows how to motivate his/her team and create a good learning environment for adults and students.
Principals can apply by filling in a form available online for up to two of the three award categories (Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Equal Opportunities). Each principal entered is automatically also considered for the grand prize, Principal of the Year 2024.
The prize awarded in each category will be €3,500, which is intended to support principals in the projects they are working on in their school or to start a new project, as well as a secured place in the Romanian School Transformation Program, coordinated by AVE.
The selection and judging for the Principals of the Year Awards Gala takes place in several stages. New this year is the introduction of a regional judging stage, so there will be 4 regional judging rounds based on geographical division. Each region will send 3 winners in each of the categories Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Equal Opportunities to the Bucharest stage.
The Principals of the Year Awards Gala aims to recognize and support school principals whose initiatives and projects have an impact on the lives of students, emphasizing their essential role in the educational process whose effects determine all economic and social levels in the short and long term.
About the Association for Values in Education
The Association for Values in Education (AVE) is a non-profit organization, whose main objective is to bring the Romanian education system in the top 10 in Europe by 2035. AVE wants to support the transformation of the Romanian education system into one that promotes respect, honesty, team spirit and responsibility. You can keep up to date with AVE’s actions by following our LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram pages.