Holly Blair, left, of the Maine Principals’ Association introduces Dirigo Elementary School Principal Charlie Swan on Friday during an assembly at the Peru school. Swan was chosen National Distinguished Principal for 2024 by Maine’s National Association of Elementary School Principals. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
PERU — Students and staff cheered Friday when Dirigo Elementary School Principal Charlie Swan was named National Distinguished Principal for 2024 by Maine’s National Association of Elementary School Principals.
Dirigo Elementary School Principal Charlie Swan shows students an item from Egypt on Friday during a guessing game at the Peru school. Swan was later named National Distinguished Principal for 2024 by Maine’s National Association of Elementary School Principals. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
Holly Blair, executive director of the Maine Principals’ Association, said that out of 700 elementary schools in Maine, Swan was chosen “Maine’s best elementary school principal.”
“That means that Mr. Swan is one of the absolute best principals in the entire United States,” she said.
Dirigo Elementary School students made signs Friday for their principal, Charlie Swan, Maine’s National Association of Elementary School Principals’ National Distinguished Principal for 2024. The announcement was made an an assembly in at the school in Peru. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
He will represent Maine in a ceremony with other principals across the nation in Washington, D.C., in October.
Regional School Unit 56 Superintendent Pam Doyen, in making the announcement, told the assembly, “Dr. Swan is absolutely amazing, and I wrote in his recommendation for this that I believe that he is the epitome of what you want in an elementary school principal. He does it all and he does it well. Congratulations, Dr. Swan.”
Swan thanked her and Blair, saying he was “very humbled, very appreciative” of students and staff. “I think it goes without saying that when an award is given to a principal like this, it is a reflection of our school.”
During the selection process Swan said he was asked what motivated him as a principal.
He said his answer was: “I get to come to school every day and work with educators who are all-in for students, and that’s awesome.”
The Maine Principals’ Association wrote of him in a news release: “Dr. Swan was chosen because he has a leadership style that encompasses all the avenues in a beautiful blend. He is reflective, authentic, genuine, innovative, data-driven, humorous, and student and community-focused. He has a great balance between fun and pushing staff forward to continue to strive for excellence.”
Swan will be honored by the association at the Night of Excellence awards dinner May 23 at the Augusta Civic Center.
Dirigo Elementary School Principal Charlie Swan gets a hug Friday from one of his students following an assembly at the school in Peru. Swan was named National Distinguished Principal for 2024 by Maine’s National Association of Elementary School Principals during the assembly. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
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