The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) recently honored J.O. Wilson Elementary School principal Cheryl Warley as a National Distinguished Principal last week. As the DC honoree Principal Warley joined sixty-two other principals from across the country at the NAESP award ceremony last week.

The National Distinguished Principal program was established 15 years ago to honor exemplary elementary and middle-school principals who “set the pace, character, and quality” of the education children receive.

Since taking over at J.O. Wilson in 2002, Principal Warley has worked to increase parent participation, including creating a parent resource center with computers and one-on-one mentoring. Under her leadership, the school has made its Annual Yearly Progress goals for four consecutive years and its French program continues to be recognized nationally.

She’s built strong ties with the neighborhood, area civic associations, and other groups to make J.O. Wilson a model for community partnerships. With these strong relationships supporting her efforts, she’s overseen the complete renovation of the school library and the school grounds – both are now state-of-the-art facilities.

This is a prestigious award and we’re delighted to congratulate Principal Warley on this honor.