Homer Middle School Principal Meghan Redmond has recently received two titles: 2027 Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals (AASSP) Region III Principal of the Year as well as the state Principal of the Year.
In a public media comment, superintendent Clayton Holland wrote: this is a well-deserved recognition of Meghan's leadership and the positive impact she continues to make on students, staff, and the Homer Middle School community. He provided these comments to KBBI:
“Principal Redmond is an incredible principal. She really tries every day to make the school enjoyable for staff and students. That's one of her real big focuses. How do I get kids to enjoy coming to school and being part of this culture that we have, and building that positive culture, and really from around that, she centers all that learning. So all the hard work of getting students to learn, for students to learn, and put those systems in place to increase what's happening, increase the outcomes for our kids. So she really combined all of that. Something we talk about in the district quite often is culture, learning, and learning systems. And I think Megan exemplifies all of that. And if you pay attention to her social media, or if you go into that school, you're going to see that on a daily basis. She does a great job of showing what's happening in the building and creating that culture. She does a great job of recognizing her staff and making sure she's collaborative with her staff. She does that every day, and celebrates her students, her staff, the culture of the building, and the things happening there,” Holland said.
A November 5 press release from Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals, AASSP, provides some of Principal Redmond’s background:
Principal Redmond received her Bachelor's Degree in Education from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She completed her Master's Degree in Educational Leadership at the University of Alaska-Anchorage.
Principal Redmond has served as Principal of Homer Middle since 2021. She began her Alaska education career as a teacher in the Southwest Region School District in 2010. In 2019, as Assistant Principal of Chief Ivan Blunka School, Redmond was recognized as Alaska Assistant Principal of the Year and National Assistant Principal of the Year.
The press release also includes a statement from Mike Nigus, President of AASSP, who said "Meghan represents the very best of school leadership in Alaska. She leads with purpose, compassion, and a deep commitment to creating opportunities for every student to succeed." He added, "AASSP is proud to recognize Meghan as the 2027 Alaska Principal of the Year, and we look forward to celebrating her accomplishments at our upcoming Alaska Principals' Conference.”
Meghan Redmond provided these details about her experience in the state of Alaska:
“I moved to Alaska in 2010, and the first place that my husband and I lived in was called Twin Hills. It's a really tiny village of just about 80 people in Bristol Bay, the Bristol Bay area. I worked out in that school district for 11 years in two different villages, Twin Hills and New Study Hawk, and I absolutely loved living out there. It was amazing. I learned so much and was able to develop a lot of like the leadership skills that I use every day. Living that remotely, you have to do a lot of things that you don't normally do day to day, and it was just a really wonderful experience. We moved to Homer full time in 2021. So this is my sixth school year here at Homer Middle School, and I absolutely love it.”
She concluded our conversation with these thoughts on Homer Middle School:
“I have the most amazing team here working with me here at the middle school. They truly care about kids and provide the best education possible for our students. You know, same as all the way up to the district office, and then you know all the people that have kind of shaped me, I guess, into the leader that I am. It's definitely a humongous team effort in many different capacities,” she said.
Reporting from Homer, this is Emilie Springer.