September 8, 2022
By JAMES EVANS
Rutherford County Schools
Now in her fourth year as principal of Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School, April Sneed has another accolade to add to her school’s growing list of accomplishments and awards.
After being named the Principal of the Year for Rutherford County last school year, and earning the same honor regionally, the Tennessee Department of Education has named Sneed one of nine finalists for Tennessee Principal of the Year.
The Tennessee Principal of the Year award is given annually to a school leader for outstanding service in education and exceptional leadership that drives overall improvements in his or her school, according to TDOE. To qualify, candidates must have a minimum of one year of experience as a principal and a minimum of three years of experience in public schools. In addition, all nominees must have a proven track record of exceptional gains in student learning.
“It is a tremendous honor not just for myself but my entire school community,” Sneed said. “I was originally chosen as the RCS Principal of the Year due to the significant improvement of WBMS, and that has been a collaborative effort of my administrative team, faculty, staff and parents. This honor is in my name, but it is truly a recognition for the hard work of the entire Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School Community.”
The state selects three finalists from each grade division of Tennessee — East, Middle and West.
Principal of the Year finalists will proceed to an in-person interview that will be held in the coming weeks where each will meet with a panel of interviewers made up of department staff and other education leaders.
Winners for each Grand Division and the Tennessee Principal of the Year will be selected from this group and announced at the Tennessee Principal and Supervisor of the Year Celebration held later this fall.
Over the summer and under Sneed’s leadership, Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School was selected as “model school” by the International Center for Leadership and Education. Schools are chosen by ICLE based on their rapid improvement and ability to present streamlined and straightforward strategies to help other schools achieve success. The application process is very rigorous, involving a written application, multiple panel interviews and other screening processes.
Principal Sneed took leadership of Whitworth-Buchanan at a time when the school was listed by the state as needing targeted support and improvement.
“Mrs. Sneed has done an amazing job at quickly changing the expectations for behavior and academic performance at WBMS,” Director of Schools Dr. Jimmy Sullivan said. “In the summer before her arrival, the school was identified as being in the bottom five percent of all schools in Tennessee for performance with a few subgroups of students. The changes at WBMS were noticed almost immediately with a dedicated focus on routines and procedures and standards-based instruction.”
Sneed previously served as an assistant principal at Rockvale Middle School for many years before taking the helm at Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School. She become principal of Whitworth-Buchanan in July 2019.
The school’s performance has skyrocketed since Sneed’s arrival.
In each year TCAP has been administered during her tenure, the school has been identified as a Level 5 school for student academic growth, which is the highest possible level. Additionally, the school received Reward School status from the Tennessee Department of Education last school year.
“Congratulations to April, but also to the entire WBMS community as this is an honor for all,” Director Sullivan said.