Okeechobee County - Monday February 19, 2024: This week, Florida TaxWatch will present Okeechobee High School Principal Lauren Myers with a Florida TaxWatch 2023-24 Principal Leadership Award (PLA).
The Leadership award recognizes educational leaders who are creating meaningful change in their students’ lives, while also promoting their uniquely effective practices among their peers.
The ceremony will take place this Wednesday, February 21, at 12:30 p.m. at Okeechobee High School, located at 2800 Highway 441 North in Okeechobee.
During this ceremony, in addition to receiving an award herself, Principal Myers will also award one deserving student with a full two-year Florida Prepaid College Scholarship.
Established by Florida TaxWatch in 2013, the Principal Leadership Awards (PLA) program serves to acknowledge and reward educational leaders who are creating meaningful change in their students’ lives, while also promoting their uniquely effective practices among their peers.
This program, which is the only one of its kind nationwide, recognizes 15 of Florida’s most successful principals from high-risk K-12 public schools across the state (five principals each from elementary, middle, and high schools, including traditional and charter public schools). Principals are selected based on weighted Florida Department of Education data, not through nominations.
Additionally, Florida TaxWatch is partnering with the Florida Prepaid College Foundation and private corporate sponsors to provide one student from each winner’s school with a two-year college scholarship. The winning students find out about their scholarship during a surprise announcement the day of the award presentation. The students are selected by their principal and must meet several criteria that would traditionally make attending college, let alone paying for it, a significant challenge.
The PLA program would not be possible without the support of Florida TaxWatch's generous sponsors, including Charter Communications, Dominic and Debbie Calabro, FBMC Benefits Management, First Horizon Bank, the Florida Lottery, Florida Power and Light, Florida Prepaid College Foundation, Helios Education Foundation, JM Rubin Foundation, Kyra Solutions, Maximus, Steve and Linda Evans, Tampa Electric Company, and Walmart.