Viera, FL -- October is National Principal Appreciation Month. It is a month to honor the dedication, compassion, and commitment of school principals who lead students, schools, and the communities they serve.
To pay tribute to their tireless efforts, Florida TaxWatch, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit government, and taxpayer research institute, organizes its annual Principal Leadership Awards (PLA). Established in 2013, the prestigious award is given to nine different principals across the state in schools with a large population of at-risk students who have outperformed other schools with similar demographics through the meaningful impact they have made on the students they serve.
The only program of its kind in the nation, the PLA selects three principals each from Â鶹¸ßÇå, Middle, and High Â鶹¸ßÇå, whose leadership skills have made a difference not only in the lives of their students but in their communities as well.
For the fourth year in a row, Brevard Public Â鶹¸ßÇå had the privilege of surprising one of their very own principals with this accolade. This year, Ms. Mary Beth Myers of Riviera Â鶹¸ßÇå is being honored with a 2023 Principal Leadership Award.
On Friday, October 13, Ms. Myers went to work thinking it would be just like any other Friday. Still, she was surprised to see School Board members Jennifer Jenkins and Katye Campbell among other district representatives show up to her school.
Ms. Myers was awarded the PLA during a surprise ceremony for her hard work in enriching the lives of the students of Riviera Â鶹¸ßÇå and helping them to achieve and succeed!
As part of her award, Ms. Myers will be recognized at the official PLA award ceremony in Winter Park in April 2024. She will also receive a $1,000 cash prize, a plaque for her school, and perhaps most exciting of all, she will have the opportunity to nominate one student from Riviera Â鶹¸ßÇå to receive a two-year Academic A+ Challenge Match Scholarship.
Florida TaxWatch selects its PLA winners through weighted data collected from the Department of Education.
Last year, Mike Mahl of Palm Bay Â鶹¸ßÇå School was honored, and in 2021, Dr. Rachel Roberts took home the prize for her impact at Columbia Â鶹¸ßÇå. In 2020, Riviera won under the leadership of Kori Hurst.