Carla Fry named OAESP 2019 State Principal of Excellence 

Carla Fry, principal at Trout Elementary, has been selected as the OAESP State Principal of Excellence, the Ponca City Public School district has been notified.

Fry was named a finalist for this prestigious honor in April. She will be recognized at an awards ceremony during the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration Summer Conference June 5-6 in Norman.

“We congratulate Carla Fry for being chosen from so many excellent elementary principals in Oklahoma,” said Superintendent Shelley Arrott. “Carla is a strong, proven educational leader who possesses both deep instructional knowledge and highly effective leadership skills. As an instructional leader, she encourages the learning and growth of all students and the success of staff by promoting a shared vision that makes powerful teaching and learning the central focus of education. Mrs. Fry plays a vital role in the success of our district. She has an unfaltering work ethic and is a natural, proven leader. I am proud to call Carla Fry a member of Team Ponca City Public Schools and an educational role model for all to follow.”

Fry was selected by a committee of OAESP Board members and former award winners from across the state who visited her school. The committee toured the building and interviewed parents, community leaders and staff.

Fry has been the principal at Trout Elementary since 2012. Prior to that, she served as principal at Woodlands Elementary from 2000 until 2009. Under her leadership, Woodlands earned the distinguished honor of being named a Blue Ribbon School. She was also principal at Lincoln Elementary from 2009 until 2012.

Fry received the PCPS District Certified Employee Award twice, once in 2004 and again in 2008. She is very involved in the community serving on the Board of the United Way, and she has been on the Big Brothers Big Sisters Board since the inception of the organization. She also served on the YMCA Board from 2008 until 2014.

OAESP also named Cathey Bugg, Principal at Heritage Elementary School in Edmond Public Schools, as the OAESP Administrator of the Year and National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) National Distinguished Principal.

Molly Wilson, Principal at Centennial Elementary school in Mustang Public Schools, is the James Burnette Principal of Distinction.

The OAESP Administrator of the Year Awards promote leadership in elementary education by recognizing individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to their schools through programs that exemplify the highest standards and promote student achievement.   Award winners serve as inspirational leaders to OAESP— they embody the core values of serving students and being committed to their school communities.

Bugg will be recognized by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., this fall.

The Oklahoma Association of Elementary School Principals is a professional association organized for the purpose of improving elementary and middle-level education (PreK-8th grade) by providing information and leadership, encouraging research/service, and promoting high professional standards for Oklahoma administrators.

OAESP is an affiliate of the National Association of Elementary School Principals and a constituent association of the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration.

For more information about the OAESP Administrator of the Year Awards, please visit www.ccosa.org.