6 School Administrators Honored for Contributions

Six Valley principals, assistant principals and administrators in the Los Angeles Unified School District have been chosen to receive Administrator of the Year Awards, it was announced Monday.

The awards, presented by the Assn. of California School Administrators, recognize outstanding contributions to the public education system, said Allan J. Weiner, association president and assistant principal at Cleveland High School.

Those honored “have improved their schools or . . . have done things that will keep students in school,” Weiner said.

Joan Elam of Monroe High School in North Hills, will receive the Principal of the Year award. In her 10 years in this position, she has started several new programs, including a child-care center for students who are parents, a law and government education program, a police academy that works in conjunction with the Los Angeles Police Department and, most recently, a fire academy for studying fire science.

“One of the things that I think is the most important driving force [in creating new programs] is meeting the needs of the young people I have here,” Elam said.

“Whenever there is a program that is started here, it is because there is an idea or a brainstorm that will help our students succeed . . . and if the teachers are enthusiastic, the students are enthusiastic, and everybody succeeds.”

Other honorees are Maureen Jensen, principal of El Camino Real Community Adult School in Woodland Hills; Sharon Smith, assistant principal of San Fernando High School; Mark Leos, co-administrator of Francis Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley; Roger Smith, continuation administrator of Owensmouth High School in Canoga Park, and Barbara Charness, assistant principal of Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies in Reseda.

The awards will be presented June 3 at the association’s annual banquet.