2 area principals named S.C.'s best

Area principals won two of the three statewide Principal of the Year awards announced Monday.

In Charleston County, Wando High School's Lucy Beckham garnered the High School Principal of the Year award from the South Carolina Association of School Administrators.

In Dorchester District 2, Newington Elementary School's Cammy Groome received the association's Elementary School Principal of the Year award.

The middle school winner was Carole Ingram, principal of Beaufort Middle School.

Molly Spearman, executive director of the association, knows Beckham and Groome personally, and she said Groome's strengths are her enthusiasm and love for learning, as well as her ability to handle whatever obstacles she encounters. Beckham serves as the chief executive officer for one of the largest high schools in the state, and she runs it efficiently and ensures that the curriculum is personalized for each student, Spearman said.

Both principals will travel to the nation's capital to compete for national principal of the year in their respective categories. Each winner also will be recognized at the association's Summer Leadership Institute.

Beckham has been an educator for more than 33 years, an administrator for 15 years and principal at Wando since 1998. Associate Superintendent Lou Martin wrote in a recommendation letter that it was Beckham's vision that led to the development of a long-range plan to build a career and technology building adjacent to the Mount Pleasant school.

"In my view, one quality that separates the good principal from the great one is the ability to have the vision to see what will be needed to sustain and increase success for the present students as well as students in the future," Martin said.

Charleston County School District Superintendent Nancy McGinley said people from across the country come to see what Beckham has done with Wando's "robust" career academies that include sequences of courses in areas such as culinary arts and engineering. Another tribute to Beckham's leadership is that Wando reaches all students, from those with special needs to those who are gifted and talented, she said.

"I think she's one of the best principals I've ever encountered in my career because she's a great instructional leader and a great manager," McGinley said. The combination of those two factors is necessary to run a large high school that is complex and full of challenges, she said.

In Summerville, Groome was taken aback by the amount of attention she received on Monday. A pair of Highway Patrol troopers escorted her to school; her staff decorated her car with congratulatory messages; her office and parking spot were festooned with balloons and streamers. A celebration parade through the hallways to greet her students topped off her morning.

"This is way out of my comfort zone," she said. "I can talk about Newington all day long, but I'd rather not be in the spotlight. I'm extremely honored, but to me, it's the validation of the work of many people. I have such a wonderful teaching staff that always keeps the children at the forefront of what we do. "

Groome is in her 27th year in education and her ninth as Newington's principal. Gene Sires, principal of Summerville Elementary School, who was her mentor principal, nominated Groome for the award for several reasons.

"I've seen much leadership growth (in her)," he said. "The way she's brought this school up to earn the Palmetto's Finest Award, her ability to motivate others and her collaborative style of leadership. She has an ability to step out of the box and look for innovative things."

Superintendent Joe Pye said Groome's energy and passion are part of what makes her stand out, but her leadership skills also are remarkable.

"She's not just a leader in academics, but a leader in people. She has a real let's-get-it-done attitude," he said. "She's made leading this school look easy."

Reach Diette Courrégé at 937-5546 or dcourrege@postandcourier.com. Reach Bill Henley at 745-5865 or bhenley@postandcourier.com.