Lahontan Elementary School's Kimi Melendy has been named the Change Management Principal of the Year.
Provided to the LVN
Lahontan Elementary School Principal Kimi Melendy has been named the Change Management Principal of the Year by nonprofit organization Leap Innovations.
Melendy was honored Feb. 25 as part of the Modern Learning Conference in Reno. Leap Innovations’ mission is to transform education nationwide into a uniquely personal experience, designed to prepare, empower and inspire all learners to ignite their unlimited potential. The award elevates the principal who has effectively led change efforts to bring the instructional model to life in classrooms school-wide.
“Melendy has facilitated and spearheaded Lahontan Elementary's adoption and implementation of Modern Teacher in every classroom,” the nomination submission stated. “She has provided collaboration across the K-1 grade levels to build a student-learner centered framework, coaching and observation opportunities and led Lahontan Elementary to become an exemplary district example of the Modern Teacher classroom at a K-1 level. Her tireless efforts and encouragement have created an innovative, positive and academically motivated learning environment.”
Melendy shared examples of the ways the LES learning environment used Modern Teacher strategies under the school’s Wolf Pup motto to “Be Respectful, Responsible and Safe.” Visual reminders and displays include Learning Walls, Data Notebooks, an encouraged behavior matrix, Learner Roadmaps, classroom codes and shared visions with student input.
CCSD said the finalists met criteria such as “focuses on making the instructional model come alive in classrooms, effectively leads second-order change at the school level, facilitates innovation and collaboration at the school level, coaches teachers towards having a student-centered classroom and collaborates with other school-based leaders to share best practices.”