Marcella Swatosh, principal at Norwood High School since 2004, was recently recognized during the annual Spring Conference of the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals.
Swatosh was named Principal of the Year at the Lodge of Four Seasons as part of the MASSP / Virco Inc. / NASSP (National Association of Secondary School Principals) recognition program.
Swatosh was one of six other principals in the state to be recognized. She was chosen by colleagues out of 200 secondary principals in Southwest Missouri to be identified as the 2011 Southwest Missouri Principals Association (SWMASSP) Principal of the Year.
She was selected based upon the impact she makes in providing collaborative leadership; her involvement in curriculum, instruction and assessment; and in personalizing education for students. Swatosh received a $500 scholarship to be awarded to a Norwood senior.
In nominating Swatosh, Norwood Superintendent Dr. Don Forrest wrote of her successes in these areas as well as “her passion and commitment to do what’s best for students and to ensure that Norwood students have the best education in Missouri. She truly believes that failure is not an option for any student and she takes great pride in making sure that all students experience success.”
Swatosh believes that the award is as much a credit to her colleagues and students as to her herself. “It’s a compliment to the teachers that I am fortunate to work with and the students that work really hard,” Swatosh said. “I’m blessed to have been around great teachers, outstanding parents, a phenomenal community and a supportive board that have allowed us to do some quality things. It’s not the programs that we have in place that have a made a difference. It is definitely the people.”
During the time that Swatosh has been at Norwood School, the school has received several awards including being a 2010 Gold Star High School, a US News World Report Bronze School, and receiving Distinction in Performance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Swatosh came to Norwood after serving as Ava assistant high school principal in 2003. Previously she had worked five years at Mansfield High School and two years at Cabool High School as an English teacher.
Swatosh currently serves as the SWMASSP president. She has also served as president-elect for the past two years, SWMASSP membership representative for a year, and on the Missouri State University Educational Administration Advisory Board.
Swatosh recently served as the Regional Southwest Administrator Mentoring Program Coordinator and continues to mentor new principals.
