{"id":194272,"date":"2023-01-20T07:00:01","date_gmt":"2023-01-20T12:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=194272"},"modified":"2023-06-27T12:45:43","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T16:45:43","slug":"neag-school-alumna-donna-hayward-named-national-principal-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2023\/01\/neag-school-alumna-donna-hayward-named-national-principal-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Neag School Alumna Donna Hayward Named National Principal of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Growing up in a small town in the middle of Vermont, Neag School alumna Donna Hayward \u201998 6th Year, \u2019<\/strong>10 ELP did not intend to become an educator. Instead, she loved math and pursued a mathematics major after high school. Luckily for her future students, however, Hayward\u2019s path not only led her to become a math instructor but an administrator as well.<\/p>\n

Currently a principal for the past nine years at Haddam-Killingworth High School in Higganum, Connecticut, Hayward was named the 2023 National Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary Principals<\/a> in November.<\/p>\n

Thinking back to the initial spark that eventually led her to become a principal, Hayward says she was inspired by her high school principal, Bill Pollock, who left to start a bilingual nursery through fourth-grade school in Kuwait. Hayward recalls Pollock being a highly effective principal and that the teachers and students loved him. She even served on the selection committee for Pollock’s replacement when he left.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was inspired by his drive to start a school halfway across the world that positively impacted the lives of young women,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Hayward studied math at Smith College and, at the time, still didn\u2019t intend to become an educator. However, her former math teacher at her high school reached out and asked her to substitute for him while he pursued an opportunity for international travel.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cShe is a proven leader with an unwavering commitment to her students, families, and educators in her school and beyond.\u201d — Ronn Nozoe, CEO of the National Association of Secondary Principals<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIt was during my sophomore year of college,” she says. “When I finished the school year in May, I started subbing for him. I loved it!\u201d<\/p>\n

After graduation, Hayward received a letter from Smith recruiting young women to pursue a career in math education, given the shortage of females in the field.\u00a0 Smith offered to forgive 70% of the tuition for the Master of Arts degree if Hayward agreed to teach for three years after graduating. She would go on to earn her master\u2019s in a year at Smith and then teach for five years at Farmington High School.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I loved teaching, I saw things as a teacher that I didn\u2019t like and wanted to change \u2013 but you have limited influence as a teacher,\u201d Hayward says. \u201cI felt that by becoming an administrator, I would have a better chance to change things in the greater picture.\u201d<\/p>\n

To reach that next level, Hayward earned her 6th<\/sup> Year Certificate in educational leadership from the UConn Neag School of Education\u2019s Administrator Preparation Program (UCAPP)<\/a>. She started as an assistant principal at Rocky Hill High School and was later promoted to principal. She also served as principal at Suffield High School before taking the principal position at Haddam-Killingworth High School.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is a proven leader with an unwavering commitment to her students, families, and educators in her school and beyond,\u201d says Ronn Nozoe, the CEO of the National Association of Secondary Principals<\/a>, which gives the National Principal of the Year award. \u201cDonna has innovated strategies to inspire a love of learning and a true sense of belonging in her students and staff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Becoming the National Principal of the Year<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Donna
Neag School alums Donna Hayward and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona gather in D.C. at the U.S. Department of Education in November. (Photo courtesy of Donna Hayward)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hayward has earned several other accomplishments during her time in school leadership. She was Connecticut\u2019s Assistant Principal of the Year in 2006 and served as president of the Connecticut Association of Schools.<\/p>\n

Through her leadership, Haddam-Killingworth High School was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2018 and she was named Connecticut\u2019s Principal of the Year in 2022, which she called a \u201conce-in-a-lifetime honor.\u201d In October 2022, she was notified that she was one of three finalists for the national principal award. All the finalists were invited to Washington, D.C., to undergo interviews and panel discussions with the U.S. Department of Education and NASSP staff.<\/p>\n

The national selection process involved a written application covering topics such as school security, student voice, raising academic achievement, human resources management, among others. In addition, the interviews and panels covered contemporary topics and challenges facing educators and school systems today. While the process was grueling, Hayward says she also found it enjoyable.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been doing this my whole life,\u201d she says. \u201cThis is my profession. I know what I think about these topics. I know what my experience is. They weren\u2019t asking me anything I don\u2019t know. I just had to express myself and tell my story.\u201d<\/p>\n

The announcement of the winner wasn\u2019t revealed until a ceremony on Nov. 10. All finalists were allowed to bring one guest, and Hayward chose her 20-year-old daughter to attend the ceremony.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing an administrator is a 24\/7 job, and I wanted my daughter to be part of the ceremony since the child of any school administrator pays the price,\u201d Hayward says.<\/p>\n

\"Katie
Donna Hayward, right, poses for a photo with her daughter, Katie, during the National Principal of the Year ceremony in Washington, D.C. (Photo courtesy of Donna Hayward)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She says she was happy to be a finalist for the national award but did not believe the title would be hers. Hayward says she is \u201cincredibly humbled\u201d to receive the honor and hopes to make the most of the opportunity to make positive change.<\/p>\n

The recognition comes with the new role of national spokesperson for principals across the country. Hayward recalls speaking with four-time Neag School alumnus and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, who she has known for years, and says he told her he is looking to elevate principals\u2019 voices.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are nearly 100,000 principals across the United States, and someone has to speak for them,\u201d she said. \u201cHe told me, \u2018Think about what you\u2019re passionate about, Donna, because you\u2019ll have an opportunity to have a voice.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

Hayward hopes to use her new platform to help educators with the challenges they face, including the pandemic\u2019s lingering effects and unfavorable perceptions of the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel a tremendous honor to speak for principals across the country,\u201d Hayward said. \u201cIt\u2019s a big deal and a responsibility I take seriously. We need to protect our public education system and elevate and strengthen it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Becoming an Educational Leader<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hayward complimented the Neag School’s UCAPP program in preparing candidates for this career path, especially through its rigorous internship requirement.<\/p>\n

Late in the UCAPP program, students are required to interview in school districts. What Hayward thought was professional development turned into a job offer. As an assistant principal at the age of 29, Hayward was only 15 years older than her youngest students, which allowed her to relate to them more easily. She had loved her teaching experience, but knew she wanted to be a principal, just like the one she was initially inspired by in high school. She now pays the inspiration forward as a mentor of future educational leaders through the UCAPP program.<\/p>\n

\u201cI encourage them and try to be very realistic,\u201d she says. \u201cI think it\u2019s important to give them access to as much of the ‘real work’ of a principal as possible. So, the interns in the building are invited to come work with me when I\u2019m working on a budget, having a difficult conversation with a parent about a discipline issue, working with a colleague to improve performance, and also to just talk with me about their UCAPP homework questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hayward\u2019s approach to mentorship is also reflected in her guiding educational philosophy: \u201cJust love them.\u201d Essentially, she believes in doing all you can as an educator to ensure students are successful.<\/p>\n

In her almost 25 years as an educational leader, Hayward has seen, experienced, and accomplished a lot. She will now spend the next year helping elevate the profession, inspiring students and future leaders along the way, just like she was inspired decades earlier.<\/p>\n

For more information about the UConn Administrator Preparation Program, visit ucapp.education.uconn.edu<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The National Association of Secondary Principals recently honored Hayward \u201998 6th Year, \u201910 ELP, who is principal of Haddam-Killingworth High School.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":194280,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147,2427,1855,2235],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[1879],"class_list":["post-194272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-educational-leadership","category-neag","category-today-homepage"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-30 12:26:58","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194272"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194272\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":194578,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194272\/revisions\/194578"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/194280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194272"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=194272"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=194272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}