On September 5th, in Galați, 15 school headmasters from the Eastern region of the country (the counties in Bucovina, Moldova and Dobrogea) shall enter the regional judging phase of the Headmasters of the Year Awards Gala, organised by AVE (The Association for Values in Education). Three of the headmasters are regional finalists in two categories.
For the very first time, AVE added to the judging process a regional-level phase, which engages representatives of the top companies in Romania, present in the region, of the non-government sector, of school inspectorates, of the students or the media.
The structure of the three regional judging committees is tailored depending on the award category, whereas the members of each committee shall individually score each headmaster during a 60-minute interview, set to take place either in person or online.
As such, of the six regional finalists for each award category – Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Equal opportunities – the headmaster who receives the highest score will reach the national judging phase. There will be three winners of the regional judging phase in Galați, who will advance to the national phase next to the headmasters designated as winners in the other three cities where regional judging proceedings are taking place: Craiova, Oradea and Cluj-Napoca.
The Headmasters of the Year Awards Gala is the opportunity to demonstrate that the school headmaster is a vector of change that provides critical thrust to the educational community, while also being a source of inspiration to other headmasters. With each edition of the Gala, AVE enables partnerships between schools and companies, schools and NGOs and augments the impact of education in each individual’s life, beyond the immediate realm of school.
“The 2023 Headmaster of the Year award, granted by AVE on the Atheneum stage in Bucharest, was the incentive for me to continue the story started 13 years ago, in which time there has been no issue without a solution. The acknowledgement accompanying this award has helped me raise new funds for the school, but also challenged me to keep developing a united, safe and simultaneously high-performing school community.
As such, during this past year I have managed to raise funds of approximately 800,000 lei from the local authorities (with the help of which we changed the school’s entire heating installation), whereas through direct sponsorships from companies or tax forms 230 and 177 I collected nearly 100,000 lei. Furthermore, I saved from the base funding almost 100,000 lei to change the mosaic on the hallways, originally there since 1972. The interaction with the judges at the Awards Gala and the meeting with the business owners in Iași, mediated by AVE, gave me the courage to approach companies directly when I needed funding sources for the school’s projects. At the same time, I had the chance of being seconded by a team of dedicated teachers, who make it possible for our students to discover the meaning of learning through live activities and in-community interaction projects, focus their energy and curiosity, paying attention to each student’s needs”, said Raluca Cozma, headmaster of “Ion Ghica” Middle School in Iași and winner of the “Headmaster of the Year” award in 2023.
The awards ceremony of the Gala’s eight edition will be held on October 24, at Bucharest National Opera House, when 4 school headmasters are set to be awarded for the Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Equal opportunities categories, and the winner of the grand award, the 2024 Headmaster of the Year, will be announced.
The Innovation category takes a close-up of achievements that have enabled unlocking certain processes, have brought in players from outside the school to fulfil objectives, have pursued the use of technology or innovation elements for visible learning in students. The Entrepreneurship category focuses on skills demonstrated in managing resources and the budget, in identifying and raising additional income, but also in the savvy spotting of opportunities where challenges existed. The Equal opportunities category is dedicated to endeavours that have helped each student enjoy participation in school, and the more vulnerable of the children be integrated and enjoy academic progress.
The 2024 Headmaster of the Year title is granted to one of the finalists of the first 3 award categories, who exceeds the expected level of one particular category and meets cross-cutting criteria: they have a clear vision of the path they are taking to lead the educational establishment, demonstrate creativity, communication and negotiation skills, resilience before challenges, they are an inspirational leader, they know how to motivate their team and to create a positive learning environment for the adults and the students.
The award granted to each category shall be 3,500 Euro, an amount aimed at supporting the headmasters in their projects that are under way at their schools or at starting up a new project, but also a secured spot within the Program for the Transformation of Schools in Romania, coordinated by AVE.
The media partners supporting the eighth edition of The Headmasters of the Year Awards Gala are: Republica, BIZ magazine, Agerpres, Cariere magazine and România pozitivă.
About The Association for Values in EducationThe Association for Values in Education (AVE) is a non-profit organisation whose main goal is to bring the educational system in Romania to Europe’s top 10 by 2035. AVE wishes to support the transformation of the educational system in Romania into one that promotes respect, honesty, team spirit and responsibility. You can stay in touch with AVE’s endeavours by following the LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram pages.