(Photo courtesy of NASSP)

Michelle was named 2001 National Middle School Principal of the Year by NASSP. Read more.

Education World spoke to Michelle about her role as a middle school principal and about the most meaningful reforms she oversaw during her tenure at BCMS. Read her interview.

MICHELLE CELSOR PEDIGO was Principal of Barren County Middle School at the time the school was selected by the National Forum as a "School to Watch." In 2000, she was appointed Director of Secondary Instruction for Barren County Schools. (The new principal, Mark Wallace, is continuing the tradition of excellence at Barren County Middle School.)

In the same year, Michelle was named 2001 National Middle School Principal of the Year, 2000 Kentucky Middle School Principal of the Year, and local "Woman of the Year." She is also a former high school language arts teacher, yearbook advisor, basketball coach, and assistant principal.

During her tenure at BCMS, the school was also recognized as a "Welcoming School," received the "ERNIE" Award from the Barren County-Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, the PEAK Award from the Kentucky School Boards Association, and was named a "Mentorship School" by the Kentucky Department of Education.

Michelle's proudest moment while promoting middle-grades education came when she served as a panelist on U.S. Department of Education Secretary Richard Riley's Satellite Town Meeting television broadcast highlighting middle schools. She has also presented at national conferences hosted by the National Middle School Association, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Association of Elementary School Principals, and at the Office of Education Research's National Conference on Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment in the Middle Grades, and the SREB "Making Middle Grades Matter" Conference, where she was also the keynote speaker. Michelle has shared her knowledge with the Kentucky Department of Education and visitors to Barren County Middle School from all over Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, the Northeast, California, and South Dakota. Education Impact Online features the school in their new middle-grades professional development series, and Michelle and Barren County Middle School are featured ("Schooled in Purposeful Fun") in an Education Week series on middle grades reform (October 2000).

Michelle serves on the Kentucky Principal's Network Advisory Board, the Kentucky Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, and on an advisory group for the National Middle School Association. She does consulting work through the Kentucky Collaborative for Teaching and Learning, the Galef Institute, and with administrators of St. Louis Public Schools.

Resourcefulness is one of Michelle's missions, and Michelle has acquired over $630,000 for the school system. In 1999-2000, she was also a bi-weekly diarist for MiddleWeb, a web site for middle-level educators.

Michelle's personal mission statement is her gyroscope for her own continuous learning: "Professionalism and perseverance around a passion for learning creates progress for kids". Her pride and joy are her own four daughters, Sara-Cate and Deanie, and twin daughters, Bailey and Mallory. The family lives on a farm in Austin, Kentucky, where Michelle can be found being a "farm wife" from time to time. She is also an avid snow- and water-skier and enjoys writing in her spare time.

1. Conduct a thorough needs-assessment and look for curriculum gaps with regard to national standards and depth of learning. Look for interdisciplinary approaches and how students of all levels and varied learning styles are being approached. This needs assessment should be driven by the staff so they will internalize the need to get things done. Establish priorities and the urgency to accomplish those priorities.

2. Establish a system for teachers to talk about high-level instruction within their content area and within their teams. Adhere to time lines and expect teachers to reflect about student learning. Make school-wide decisions based on common needs across the contents.

3. Look at extra-curricular and co-curricular programming. Ensure that ALL students have a chance to find their niche at this school, not just the [athletic or academic students], but all students. Work with others to develop these programs. Also begin to "walk the talk" of [making sure there is] an adult for every child in the building. Help students to know they will be listened to and heard and put programs in place that nurture this relationship.

4. Begin to build teacher morale. Help teachers and staff to understand and internalize the professional expectation of the school. Help them to know they can help children to learn at high levels. Talk with them about instruction and expect them to be able to talk back. Be in the hallways during different parts of the day and help everyone to see that instruction is the business of this place.

5. Work with the staff to create a "welcoming school." Model [the practice] that parent and community people, as well as our students, are our customers. Expect the "we'll find a way" attitude and lay another system in place to encourage this. [Establish] positive office referrals for students and a school-wide discipline code. [Put in place] parent volunteer and business partnership programs, and two-way communication [between parents, community, and school]. Use the word "partnership" a lot and expect teachers to contact parents and work with parents to educate all children.

During the 1999-2000 academic year, Principal Pedigo faithfully documented her experiences at BCMS through MiddleWeb's Middle School Diaries. View the index of entries.

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