Elizabeth Shaddix was recently awarded the Chiquita Marbury Award for School Administrator of the Year after her sophomore year as Cullman City Primary School Principal.
Shaddix was presented the award last month during the annual Alabama Educational Technology Conference. The award recognizes educators who strive for excellence in STEM education and leadership. Nominees are judged on innovation and creativity, impact on teaching and learning, leadership, teamwork and scholarship.
Shaddix was nominated by CCPS STEM teacher Anna Anderson due in large part to the STEM initiatives which have taken place during Shaddix’s time as principal.
“I was honored to nominate Mrs. Shaddix for this award because of her unwavering support and profound influence in developing our STEM program,” Anderson said in a press release. “Her dedication to empowering students and teachers through innovative methods and real-world applications truly embodies the spirit of this award. We are incredibly proud of her well-deserved recognition.”
During Shaddix’s first year as principal, she and Anderson launched the annual CCPS STEM Day where students rotate between nearly a dozen hands-on activity stations. Many of those stations focus on what Anderson has described as a “cross-curricular approach” with students learning about the relationship between colors as they dropped water onto skittles, or learning about the anatomies of the tortoise and the hair. Students also put their engineering skills to the test as they designed a house of toothpicks and candy that would be able to withstand even the strongest huffs and puffs from the Big Bad Wolf.
“I am incredibly grateful to have received the Chiquita Marbury Award. It is truly humbling, and I want to express my heartfelt thank you to Mrs. Anderson, who has made the STEM program a reality for our kindergarten through second grade students,” Shaddix said in a statement. “I am excited about the future of this program as we extend the STEM initiative into our art classes this year. Mrs. Stidham and Mrs. Anderson are working together to ensure our STEM program is outstanding for our students. This initiative is part of our district’s strategic commitment to increasing STEM-related opportunities for students to think critically and prepare them for the world ahead. It is exciting to celebrate the many wonderful things that go on at CCPS daily.”