Colony Middle School’s Mary Fulp named Alaska Principal of the Year

PALMER — Mary Fulp of Colony Middle School was recently named the Alaska Principal of the Year by the Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals.

“I am humbled and completely honored,” Fulp said.

Each year, the AASSP State Principal of the Year winners are submitted for consideration to be the NASSP National Principal of the Year. NASSP will announce three finalists in July. Fulp will travel to Washington DC in September for the NASSP Principals Institute.

“By recognizing Mary Fulp, we all express our commitment to the values and student-centered leadership she demonstrates each day in her school. We also express our desire to extend Mary’s leadership to schools across our state,” Department of Education and Early Development Commissioner Dr. Michael Johnson stated in the press release.

Fulp has been a part of Alaskan education for 24 years and invested over a decade of her time in the Mat-Su School District. She said that she spent time teaching various grade levels across rural Alaska before settling into her position at CMS.

“It’s so meaningful and important. I love what I do every day,” Fulp said.

Fulp is a lifelong Alaskan and a lifelong advocate for education, serving as Past-President of the Alaska Council of School Administrators and the Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals. She also serves as a principal mentor for the Alaska School Leadership Academy. Her peers at AASSP Region 8 nominated her for Principal of the Year for 2022.

“Principal Fulp has been a statewide leader for as long as I have known her,” ACSA and AASSP President Brendan Wilson stated in a recent press release. “She is a passionate and effective advocate for our kids, for education, and for principals.”

Fulp received her Bachelor’s in Education at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and completed her Master’s in Educational Leadership with a Superintendent Endorsement from UAA.

“Principal Fulp is uncompromising in her expectations for student achievement. She expects all students to make progress and works diligently to instill a growth mindset in all students at Colony Middle School,” Mat-Su School District Superintendent Dr. Randy Trani stated in the press release. “I am so thankful Principal Fulp has dedicated herself to serving the students of the Mat-Su. She is truly an inspirational leader.”

Fulp said it’s been a tough journey for everyone trying to keep up with the ups and downs in and around the pandemic, but the end result is worth the effort. She said her dedicated team of teachers and faculty have made a positive impact on student life, and it’s all about “creating a culture of genuine care.”

“We each have to do our part. We’re a school community that cares 29:00

Students regularly stop by Fulp’s office to swap personal development cards for two items from her goodie shelf. She also keeps a dance button at the ready for on-the-spot dance parties in her office. She said her overall goal is to prepare students for success by encouraging them to tune into their inner selves, accept who they are, and “take the ceiling off what they’re capable of.”

“I have so many good memories to look back on. The kids have taught me so much,” Fulp said. “My biggest takeaway is that they want to be seen and they want to be known. Every person has a gift and it’s our job to find it nurture it and grow it.”

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com