Huntley High School Principal Marcus Belin has been named one of three Digital Principals of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
Each year, NASSP honors three NASSP-member principals in schools that cover any subset of grades 6–12. Criteria for the award are based on the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Administrators and the applications of those skills to further the Building Ranks™ framework for school improvement.
Winners receive a trip to the NASSP annual national conference. In addition, winners will have an opportunity to speak at the National Principals Conference. Winners will also be featured on the cover of Principal Leadership magazine.
In its announcement of the award, NASSP pointed to Dr. Belin’s leadership in steering continued innovation at HHS, advancing equity, and using technology to engage students in conversation around social-emotional topics and school culture.
“Huntley High School’s blended learning program, ranked No. 1 in the country by Study.com, enables students to choose the time and place for their own learning. A member of Digital Promise’s League of Innovative Schools, Huntley’s use of technology to advance equity and excellence has resulted in a competency-based education pilot program that blends in-person and online learning. Belin is proud to have overseen three years of this innovative program, which enables students to creatively master competencies in four core subject areas,” the announcement reads.
“Just as important, Belin has found ways to connect with students and engage them in social-emotional learning through online lessons covering anxiety, mental health, and sexual abuse. The school also turned to ThoughtExchange as a platform where students could engage in meaningful discussions and staff members could gather feedback from families on a variety of topics, including school culture.”
