Southern Lehigh Middle School Assistant Principal
Honored By State School Librarians Association
Nathan Davidson Named “2016 Outstanding Administrator”
Center Valley, Pa. – The Pennsylvania School Librarians Association has named Southern Lehigh Middle School Assistant Principal Nathan Davidson as its 2016 Outstanding Administrator at the Building Level.
The annual award is bestowed on a school administrator whose leadership makes a significant contribution to school library services and programs, said PSLA Awards Committee representative Marg Foster, who informed Superintendent Dr. Leah Christman of the award in a Jan. 29 letter.
In the award letter received in late January, Foster said “Nathan understands that librarians are the connection between students, teachers, technology and instruction. He has helped empower his librarian to learn and share innovative strategies and best practices.”
He will be honored at the Annual Pennsylvania School Librarians Conference on May 13, 2016, at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in Hershey.
Davidson, who was nominated by middle school Library Specials Corry Robbins for his unflagging support for her programs and projects, said libraries remain “incredibly important” despite of an even because of the evolution of technology in schools. In addition to encouraging reading and supporting the reading curriculum at all grade levels, libraries led by visionaries such as Robbins have become tech centers that bring even more resources to students, he said.
“Corry is more than just a librarian, she is a media specialist,” he said, thanking Principal Edward Donahue, Christman and other administrators for cultivating an atmosphere where faculty and staff are encouraged to take risks to create better programs. “That’s why I really applaud Corry and support her wherever I can.”
Davidson, according to Robbins, is a technology leader in the building who helped create in-service options for staff to enhance their technology skills; he created a PLC (Professional Learning Community) so participants can collaborate and share knowledge; created a 1:1 team that developed all of the policies, guidelines, documents, websites to ensure the school’s 1:1 laptop roll-out was a success; and “supported my effort to turn our library into a media center, including an amazing MakerSpace.”
In addition, he created and maintains the building’s Twitter account, helped Robbins train a team of students who in turn help teachers use technology in the classroom and he supports programs such as Pages & Pizza, Hour of Code, the PA Young Readers’ Choice Award program, the Barnes & Noble book fairs and MakerSpace Monday.
“Nate has always supported me in everything I have tried to do in the library, from new programs to requests for mini-grants to get them started,” Robbins said. “That’s pretty rare in the world of libraries and librarians and I wanted to support him.”
It’s a real pleasure to hear of Nathan’s award from the Pennsylvania School Librarians Outstanding School Administrator Award,” said Donahue. “Mr. Davidson has worked closely and often with Mrs. Robbins in our library. It’s great that his dedication is being recognized.”
The Pennsylvania School Librarians Association is a statewide organization representing more than 850 members. It is an independent organization for school library professionals who serve in public, private and parochial schools within the Commonwealth. The Association is the voice of the school library profession in Pennsylvania and is dedicated to improving school library programs and services for students.
