Your work this year reflects what Paul Bambrick-Santoyo describes in Leverage Leadership 2.0: culture is not an abstract idea—it is the daily, disciplined practice of high expectations, consistent follow-through, and shared belief in what students can achieve. Strong culture lives in the routines you reinforce, the clarity of purpose you communicate, and the way you build a team that owns results together. You have created classrooms where urgency and joy coexist, where accountability is paired with support, and where students understand that excellence is the norm. That kind of culture does not happen by accident; it is the product of intentional leadership and collective commitment. Your success demonstrates that when culture is strong, achievement follows.  Thank you teachers for all the hard work and effective partnership you employ with each other and your school leaders.

This week let’s recognize Sharla Bynum, principal of Truman Elementary. Here’s what one of her educators had to say about her:

“We would like to nominate our principal Sharla Bynum because she is an excellent teacher and leader. Sharla has an open door policy and is always available to support, advise, and just listen to all staff. This includes all staff no matter of their role in the school. She believes in building school community and this can be seen in her interactions with all of our students, staff, and parents, where she demonstrates an amazing amount of patience. She shows staff regularly that she cares about them, recognizes their strengths, and wants them to be the best teacher/staff they can be. She has a deep love for students and has been known to provide a safe space in her office for students that have parents arriving after school gets out. She is loving, kind, but firm with students. She follows up with them after bad days to see how they are doing and celebrates improvements with students. Sharla also moves quickly to solve problems, supporting teachers and students. She is an insightful leader that focuses on a data driven approach and her ideas such as a school reading lab, and her ability to procure resources for our math aides has improved our school performance. Sharla supports students with special needs in our school by deeply knowing their strengths and weaknesses. She is supportive in IEP meetings and provides valuable insight to goals and solutions to problems. We have weathered a lot at our school since Sharla arrived including a huge building construction project. We couldn’t have done it without her and we can’t imagine our school without her, she just fits at Truman.”

Thank you, Sharla! We appreciate all you do for your educators, students, and the community of Truman Elementary!