SMITHFIELD – Riverwood Elementary’s Mrs. Shannon Pawlak was named 2024-2025 Assistant Principal of the Year for Johnston County Public Schools (JCPS).
A 27-year educator, Pawlak was a teacher for 20 of those years before moving to the administrative world of education. She has been the assistant principal at Riverwood Elementary for the past three years, and in those three short years, alongside Principal Leigh White, the school has achieved tremendous academic success.
According to North Carolina Department of Instruction (NCDPI) data reports for the 2023-2024 school year, Riverwood Elementary exceeded growth and was in the top 10% in North Carolina for academic growth. “I am so proud of the accomplishments that our teachers, staff, and students have achieved,” she stated. Pawlak believes there are two primary contributors to student success. The first is an added approach to how data is disseminated, and the second is the teacher artisanship training model.
Pawlak noted that the process to ensuring student success begins with teachers working in a Professional Learning Community (PLC). In some instances, students may need additional support, therefore the Riverwood Elementary administrators developed a Database Problem Solving Team.
The team consists of a variety of educators, including multiple grade-level teachers such as math and reading teachers, the school counselor, the school psychologist, administrators, and Exceptional Children teachers. Team members are intentional to delve deeper into all the pieces of the puzzle that makes up the whole child. This is a process that is very enjoyable. “Over time you really see those students make connections and blossom,” Pawlak said.
The second aspect of Riverwood Elementary’s success is the teacher artisanship model. Being a teacher for the majority of her career, Pawlak knows the importance of having supportive administrators and understanding the needs of the staff. Finding the most effective professional development for educators is a challenging process, however, it is critical for their continued education and growth. The administrative team embraces the challenge and provides the resources necessary for success.
Pawlak and White attended a conference on the 23 themes of teacher artisanship based on the book “The Artisan Teacher: A Field Guide to Skillful Teaching” by Mike Rutherford. According to Rutherford, “The most successful gap-closing, achievement-producing teachers view teaching as a craft. Artisan training combines art, knowledge, and skill in a labor of love.”
The two were so inspired by the results the artisan teacher elicited for administrators, that they brought it back to the teachers for Professional Development. They had teachers visit other teacher’s classrooms to observe what different themes were being used to create connections and engage students, in turn, providing opportunities to build school-wide growth.
By using this model every educator benefits. For example, an art teacher can go into a kindergarten class to observe the teacher’s organization style and how they elicit responses in a different way, and then possibly use it in their own classroom. “It’s been phenomenal to watch,” Pawlak remarked. “They love it! The teachers keep asking to do more with it. Some teachers have even said, ‘This is the best PD I’ve ever had!’”
Because of its continued growth and success, Riverwood Elementary is now applying to become a model school. A model school is one that demonstrates rapid growth and high expectations for all students. These schools use strategies that can be used for teacher training and be adopted by other schools.
All of the academic success at Riverwood Elementary is amazing, but one of the biggest inspirations for Pawlak is the little moments, like watching kindergarteners collaborating about the letters they are learning. “I can go into a classroom, and within 30 seconds my mood can go from bad to glad,” she remarked.
Another big inspiration for her is watching students who are going through difficult times light up in the classroom when they have an “aha” moment. Pawlak has a deep passion for all students and has a special knack for at-risk students who could easily get derailed. She loves being hands-on in the process of ensuring they remain on track.
Her love of the school, the staff, the community, and especially the children runs deep. Both of her children were students at Riverwood Elementary, and her husband has been an 8th grade Social Studies teacher at Riverwood Middle for more than 20 years. For the Pawlak family, the school is home away from home. Which can be understood as it certainly is where her heart is.
“My guiding light is service, and the reason I’m here is to make sure my teachers feel supported, my families and community members feel comfortable and safe when they come into our building, so they we can all work towards the ultimate goal of making our children feel safe and happy to be at school,” she commented.
