Williamsville Administrator Honored as a Principal of the Year

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Dr. Daniel Walh

ALBANY, NY (04/29/2021) (readMedia)-- ALBANY, NY – Dr. Daniel Walh, principal at Transit Middle School in the Williamsville Central School District, has been has been selected as the 2021 New York State Secondary School Principal of the Year by the School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS). This award is given annually to a member of SAANYS to recognize outstanding principals who have succeeded in providing high-quality learning opportunities for students as well as demonstrating exemplary contributions to the profession.

Walh will also represent New York as the NASSP NYS Principal of the Year as sponsored by SAANYS' national affiliate, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). NASSP will select a National Principal of the Year from all the state finalists.

Serving as principal of Transit Middle School for ten years, Walh has been noted for leading many initiatives that together have resulted in Transit Middle School having been recognized as the top performing middle school in Western New York for well over a decade (Business First of Buffalo, 2010-2020). Prioritizing time for teacher collaboration and learning; enhancing staff and student connections; understanding the importance of positive behavior supports and meeting individual student needs; and leading high-quality instruction and creating opportunities for all students are all hallmarks of Walh's leadership.

Commented Charles Smilinich, principal of Dodge Elementary School, "Through his persistence, passion, and personal commitment to the students and the community, he has continued the tradition of keeping Transit Middle School as a high functioning, community orientated, hub of student and family learning. He has created an environment where school pride abounds and students and teachers feel safe, secure, valued, and destined for greatness." Student Colby Yu noted, "Middle school was a wonderful time. During my time there, I can definitely say it helped with broadening my creativity along with networking and working well with others. Dr. Walh showed me the importance of leadership directly and indirectly, and I surely appreciated his guidance."

Walh also established a Transit Shared Decision Making Team (SDM) consisting of administrators, teachers, and parents at the school. This collaborative team explored the issue of equity at the school and implemented many initiatives to add voice to individuals and honor their unique differences. One of the initiatives was an equity survey of the 8th grade students. After learning from the results of a survey that only 40 percent felt their identity was being valued at school, the SDM team created a schoolwide activity inviting students to share their ancestry, country of origin, languages spoken, and states and countries they have lived in. This resulted in a vast amount of data that was used to create three floor-to-ceiling displays in the main foyer in which every student's ancestry was represented with flags from that country, and "welcome" was written in each of the 33 languages spoken by the school community. During after-school events, visitors to the school have often commented how welcoming it is to see their family's heritage honored and valued.

Commented teacher Katie Neff, "Through these challenging unprecedented times, Dr. Walh takes time to email the teachers and thank them for what they are doing. He reminds them that they are appreciated and valued. These small gestures mean so much."

Walh received his bachelor of science in elementary education from the State University of New York College at Buffalo, master of science in education administration from University of Phoenix-Denver, and doctor of philosophy in education administration and leadership from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

As the NASSP New York State Principal of the Year, Walh is now a candidate for the award of National Principal of the Year, an award sponsored by NASSP.

SAANYS represents nearly 8,000 school administrators, supervisors, and coordinators. As a professional association, SAANYS is committed to providing direction, service, and support to the membership in their efforts to improve the quality of education and leadership in New York State schools. SAANYS is affiliated with the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

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