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Alumni association honors local principal with achievement award
Eugene Ware Elementary Principal Billie Jo Drake doesn't just show up for work each day, she puts her heart into her job, continually encouraging the students at her school to do the very best that they can.
On May 16 and 17, Drake, who has been the principal at Eugene Ware since 2000, will be awarded the Pittsburg State University Alumni Association's Meritorious Achievement Award. The award, which was created in 1958, is considered to be the highest award based on career achievement that the Alumni Association presents.
According to Pittsburg State University, www.pittstate.edu, Meritorious Achievement Award candidates must meet various qualifications.
"Candidates must have demonstrated substantial professional growth and advancement over an extended period of time," Pittsburg State said. "The candidate's activities, including participation and leadership in civic and professional organizations at the local, state and national levels, will also be considered by the Awards Selection Committee in selecting the recipients."
Drake exemplifies the Meritorious Achievement Award qualifications, according to USD 234 Superintendent Rick Werling.
"She (Drake) is a leader in everything she does," Werling said.
Werling added that in 2006, Drake was one of only five principals in the United States to be selected for the U.S. Department of Education's Terrel H. Bell Award for School Leadership. In addition, she was chosen as the Kansas 2006 National Distinguished Principal.
Eugene Ware Elementary counselor Cathie Kunstel said Drake lead the elementary school to become one of the Blue Ribbon schools in Kansas.
"Mrs. Drake is very deserving because she is such a great leader to her staff and the students of Eugene Ware. She has been instrumental in helping us achieve the Blue Ribbon Award for our school by encouraging us to do the very best that we can," Kunstel said.
Kunstel added that Drake is extremely innovative and not afraid to approach situations in new ways in order to attain school goals.
Among Drake's inventive ideas was the introduction of parallel block scheduling at Eugene Ware, which allows for longer periods for intensive reading and writing instruction, while reducing reading group sizes to five or fewer. Drake implemented block scheduling in an effort to raise student achievement levels, according to a previous Tribune article.
Drake has also lengthened teachers' daily planning time and reorganized faculty meetings to provide for group work to advance professional learning. She was selected as the National Distinguished Elementary Principal for Kansas in 2005. Also in 2005, Drake's efforts were rewarded when Eugene Ware met the Kansas standard of excellence in both reading and math. In 2007, Eugene Ware Elementary received the standard of excellence award for fifth grade writing. In 1997, Drake was named the Dale E. Hammons Outstanding Teacher.
Drake said she is extremely excited and honored to be selected for the Meritorious Achievement Award. However, she said, it is the work of others coupled with her diligence that made the progress possible.
"It is always exciting and humbling to receive an award, especially when I consider all the people who have done their jobs well and have helped me appear to be deserving of an award," Drake said.
According to Eugene Ware fifth grade teacher Gayla Croan, those who know Drake are not surprised by her latest achievement.
"Mrs. Drake's commitment to education is apparent to all who know her. We are proud that others now know what we at Eugene Ware have known for a long time. She is a wonderful person," Croan said.