Yesterday, US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona announced the 2021 recipients of the Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership. To the surprise of no one who knows him, Middle School Principal John Gibbons was named as one of the eight (8) national recipients. Mr. Gibbons is the only Massachusetts, and indeed New England, winner. The recipients will be honored during the National Blue Ribbon Schools awards ceremony on Thursday, November 4, 2021.

From the National Blue Ribbon Award website: “The Terrel H. Bell Award recognizes outstanding school leaders and the vital role they play in guiding students and schools to excellence, frequently under challenging circumstances. Principals chosen as Terrel H. Bell Award recipients have transformed their schools. Their vision and collaborative leadership styles have produced outstanding results for all of their students to develop academically, emotionally, physically, socially, and culturally. These principals have shown that with effective leadership, skilled teaching, and high expectations, all students can learn.”

Principals are nominated by their school communities during the final stages of the National Blue Ribbon Schools application process. The U.S. Department of Education, together with the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the Association for Middle Level Education, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, bestow the Bell Award on a handful of principals each year.

For “real” information on John Gibbons, you can see his official award recipient biography here. For a more exciting and biased (okay, I’m a HUGE fan) view, you can read the Weston Owl article on him from this spring. On a personal note, and I’ve said it before, Weston kids are so lucky to have Mr. Gibbons and the entire group of educators at the middle school. I feel sorry for those who skip public middle school here in Weston–you have no clue what you’re missing. Or maybe you do now.

Yesterday while walking Katie Puppy, I saw Mr. Gibbons out with the middle school garden club taking care of the Middle School garden. It is the perfect analogy for John Gibbons–tending, growing, encouraging everyone else to grow. Congratulations, Mr. Gibbons, on a well-deserved recognition.