Dr. Linda S. Hayes, principal of Pembroke Elementary School in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools, is the new Virginia 2008 National Distinguished Principal. Her selection marks the 25th year that the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the U.S. Department of Education have sponsored this prestigious award to deserving educators.

In October, Hayes will travel to Washington, D.C. for two days of activities planned to honor and bring well-deserved recognition to the elementary and middle-level educators chosen for the award.

Hayes is a 29-year veteran teacher and administrator. “Dr. Hayes was nominated and selected by fellow principals in a statewide process conducted during the past school year by the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals,” said Thomas L. Shortt, executive director of Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals.

According to Shortt, criteria set by the NAESP and the Department of Education require that educators selected for the recognition be active principals of schools where programs are designed to meet the academic and social needs of all students and where there are firmly established community ties with parents and local business organizations. Principals represent elementary schools in all states, the District of Columbia and private and overseas schools.

“I am so touched,” said Hayes. “I am indeed honored and grateful to receive this recognition from my peers and become Virginia’s 2008 National Distinguished Principal. The principalship is one of the most challenging and rewarding positions in public education. It is a joy to work with teachers, parents and staff who make a positive difference in our children.”

Hayes is known as an innovative, can-do administrator who positively motivates both students and teachers to excel as learners and educators. As a result, she has a record of improving student academic performance.

At Lynnhaven and Newtown elementary schools where she served as principal, Hayes’ leadership empowered teachers to provide at-risk students with the intensive studies to raise their scores on the Standards of Learning tests. Under her guidance of faculty and students, Newtown achieved state accreditation for the first time in 2005.

Hayes has a simple recipe for results-oriented leadership at the school level: “I believe that you have to have a heart for children because everything stems from that,” she said.

“As an administrator, every moment you have to be with the teachers, you are building them up to work with the kids,” said Hayes. “As a principal, it is imperative that you reach teachers.”

Hayes emphasizes to her staff that to be effective teachers must have the right attitude, patience and an introspective view of themselves as educators. “Make a personal connection to that child,” she said. “A child has to know you are rooting for him or her.” In addition, Hayes said, “Teachers must ask themselves ‘How can I reach this child?’ “

Hayes has asked herself that question since 1979 when she became a speech and language therapist working with severe and profound special education students in the Schertz-Cibilo Texas Independent School District. A year later, she worked as a speech and language therapist in Southgate Elementary School in Moore, Oklahoma, where she remained until 1983. In 1986, she moved to Virginia Beach bringing her speech and language therapist skills to Rosemont Forest Elementary School. In 1991, Hayes was named an assistant principal at Lynnhaven Elementary in Virginia Beach. Two years later, she was promoted to principal of Lynnhaven. She followed that appointment with elementary school principalships at Newtown and Pembroke.

Hayes holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Southwest Texas State University, a Master’s in Education Administration from The George Washington University and an Ed.D in Leadership and Policies Studies from Virginia Tech.

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