Here’s how 7 Philly principals will spend $20,000 for their schools

Seven Philadelphia School District principals have won 2024 Lindback Awards for strong leadership and will be honored at a ceremony Tuesday. The award comes with $20,000 for each winner’s school to support projects of their choosing.

Here’s what their plans are for the prize money:

Bright prides herself on making Crossan Elementary, in the Northeast, a place of authentic connections.

But frankly, one barrier is the school’s cafeteria, where outdated rectangular tables “limit social interaction and the semblance of community,” Bright said in her Lindback application. Her $20,000 will buy new circular tables and fund activities that help build community, such as weekly parent meetings, monthly student attendance recognition ceremonies, academics nights, a kindergarten open house, and school selection meetings.

South Philadelphia students have often wished for a space other than the school cafeteria to occupy during their lunches. Chek wants to use her $20,000 to create a lounge where students can “take a moment for their own mental and emotional health,” she said in her application, using the space to “meditate, study and take the beneficial brain breaks needed to make school days more productive.”

Hayes has not had to suspend a single student in his West Philadelphia school this year — in part, he said, because of the school’s focus on Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, with its focus on rewarding good conduct. A highlight for students is the school store — for Bryant’s kindergarten through fourth graders — and a lounge with snacks, cards, and games for fifth through eighth graders. Students can also spend PBIS points on school trips and activities like participating in a flag football game against neighboring schools.

With his Lindback prize money, Hayes wants to pay for field trips and purchase supplies, snacks, and games. He also plans to buy uniforms, coats, backpacks, and school supplies for Bryant families who need them. “I want to prioritize removing any barriers within our power in order to fully support the community,” Hayes wrote.

Mitchell dreams of repurposing Bodine’s library space into an adaptive International Baccalaureate Learning Center, a nod to the rigorous academic program offered at the Northern Liberties magnet school. “This adaptive space will be a hub for collaborative learning and critical thinking,” Mitchell wrote in his application.

Imagine: a modular space with movable furniture, ripe for interactive learning and group work, outfitted with technology that allows students to engage in deep research, a place designed to emphasize Bodine’s international emphasis. “The proposed IB Learning Zone is not just a physical space but a testament to our commitment to providing an enriched educational experience at Bodine,” Mitchell wrote.

Ludlow Elementary sits in the heart of North Philadelphia, at 5th and Master. Moody wants the grounds to be “an urban oasis for our school community” — a place where kids can move, play, relax, connect with friends. Some progress has been made to date — Ludlow has Adirondack chairs, garden beds, plants, and flowers, but “our school yard remains a large barren sea of concrete.”

With the $20,000, Moody wants to refurbish the school’s basketball courts, install a soccer goal, and create a tag football field. He imagines new signage and playground games.

Rothmiller emphasizes the arts at Hamilton, in West Philadelphia, where students participate in regular galleries and music assemblies. The $20,000 Lindback prize will allow Hamilton to take things one step further, improving stage lighting and sound capabilities in the school’s auditorium. With the extra funds, students will be able to take more of a role in leading stage productions, getting hands-on experience in lighting and sound.

“This promotes inclusivity and unity,” Rothmiller wrote, “by showcasing a broader range of the student body’s varied talents.”

» READ MORE: Torrence Rothmiller never planned to be a teacher. Now, he’s one of Philly’s best principals.

Scioli wants to move her Chestnut Hill K-8 forward by pursuing authorization in the International Baccalaureate program.

Such a designation and such programming would open doors for Jenks, and for its students.

“I believe in being a global steward and that this opportunity helps us develop human intrinsic values in tandem with global issues. I believe that this will support educational equity and help every student achieve their full potential and dreams to lead systemic change,” Scioli wrote.