Mr. Crowley Goes to Washington
By Martha Slater

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Last spring, Rochester resident Tim Crowley, who is co-principal of the Barre Town Middle and Elementary School, was chosen as the 2006 National Distinguished Principal Award winner for the state of Vermont. On October 27, he and his wife, Mary Sue, and their three children, Patrick, David, and Daley, were in Washington D.C., where Crowley represented the state of Vermont at the national conference sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and National Association of Elementary School Principals.

With his family looking on proudly, Crowley was presented with his award by the U.S. Department of Education’s Deputy Secretary Under-Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings.

While in the nation’s capitol, Crowley, who was also chosen as the John Winton Vermont Middle School Principal of the Year for 2006, attended a White House Briefing with Bush Administration advisors, a U.S. State Department Briefing with the Deputy Secretary of State, and a black-tie celebration.

"I’m still stunned by the way we were welcomed in Washington," Crowley told the Herald. "From the VIP treatment at the beautiful Capital Hilton to the black-tie reception in the Benjamin Franklin Ballroom at the Department of State, to the White House briefing in the Executive Office Building, I certainly felt like the principalship in American schools is noble work. If this is the feeling the U.S. Department of Education and the National Association of Elementary School Principals wanted me to come away with, they certainly succeeded.

Crowley added that, "Serving as a school principal is just that—service. People often comment to me about what a difficult job the principalship is. And they’re right. But it’s also very rewarding. I love the variety that every day brings. The opportunity to serve good teachers, to help kids, and to team with parents makes for a complicated mix, and it’s one I wouldn’t trade for anything."

Having his family with him in Washington, "served to give them a new appreciation too, of what a principal does, whether it’s done in Arkansas or Vermont, Michigan, or in an American overseas school in Germany," Crowley noted. "They met principals from every state in America. These principals have done amazing things. To have been in their company was a humbling and gratifying experience for all of us."

Still awed and thrilled by the entire experience, Crowley concluded that, "representing the beautiful state of Vermont and the Town of Barre was as exciting as anything I’ve ever done."

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