DoDEA

Linda Connelly

ARLINGTON, VA — March 22, 2004 — Mrs. Linda Connelly of E.J. King middle and high school, located in Sasebo Japan, has been competitively selected as the NASSP 2004 DoDEA Principal of the Year.

Established in 1993, the NASSP Principal of the Year program-in partnership with MetLife-annually recognizes outstanding middle level and high school principals. Secondary school principals whose schools include some configuration of grades 6-12 are eligible for consideration.

Those honored have demonstrated extraordinary leadership, commitment to the development of students and staff, service to their communities, and contributions to the overall profession of educational leadership.

Linda began her teaching career in 1974 at Sacred Heart School, Granite City, Illinois. Her initial assignment with DoDEA was at Aschaffenburg American School (Germany), where she taught social studies and English. Linda's subsequent teaching and administrative assignments have taken her to other schools within Germany, as well as Bahrain and Japan. Her initial administrative position was as an Education Program Manager at H.H. Arnold High School (Germany) in 1989. This was followed by assistant principal positions at Vilseck High School, Ramstein High school, and Bad Aibling ES/High School-all located in Germany. She was promoted to the position of principal at E. J. King Unit School (Japan) in 2000.

Linda was instrumental in reconfiguring King Unit School (grades pre-K-12) into two schools; an elementary school including grades Pre-K-6, and a middle/high school, grades 7-12. The change was beneficial to all grades of the former unit school. Among her many contributions at the secondary level, were the addition of several teaching periods to include year-round physical education for grades 7 and 8, and additional instructional periods in the area of computer technology.

Additionally, she initiated significant changes that enhanced the teaching and learning environment at E.J. King High School. With the assistance of teacher leaders, guidelines for the Seminar period were defined and implemented. Honors English courses were implemented during her initial year. AP English classes were offered during her second year and AP classes were expanded over the course of the next two years to cover the four core curricular areas.

In her third year, in response to student requests, an AP Government class was added to the master school schedule. During the 2003 school year, after nine years of requests, a National Junior ROTC unit was established at the school, and today, the program enjoys the highest percentage enrollment in DoDDS Pacific.

The high achievement of E.J. King students in academics and extra-curricular activities alike reflect her genuine impact on the school community. During the past two years, students from E.J. King have placed 1st and 2nd respectively in the Pacific Area Science and Humanities Symposium.

Linda is a member of Phi Delta Kappa and the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Locally, she is a member of the Sasebo Ward Room Association-a philanthropic organization-and the Far East Activities Council. She received her undergraduate degree from Eastern Illinois University and her graduate degree from the University of South Florida. Linda is married to Michael Connelly, a talented and gifted teacher atDarby Elementary School also located in Sasebo, Japan.