George Washington Middle School’s Jesse Mazur was named 2018 ACPS Principal of the Year and finalist for The Washington Post 2018 Principal of the Year.
Mazur joined ACPS as the principal of George Washington Middle School in 2014. Using a collaborative and data-driven approach, Mazur has focused on building community, promoting professional learning communities and closing the achievement gap.
Mr. Mazur is a hands-on instructional leader who creates an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust where teachers are supported, involved and appreciated. He is a distinguished educator who is willing to go above and beyond and has a true passion for student success,” said Interim Superintendent Lois F. Berlin.
Mazur has built a cohesive school community for staff and students by implementing programs such as the Where Everyone Belongs (WEB) transition program in which eighth grade students mentor incoming sixth grade students; the Kicking off an Excellent Year (KEY) middle school transition program designed for students receiving special education services; and the Guided Learning Acquisition Design (GLAD) program, a highly structured framework to support English learning students and Restorative Practices for student conflict resolution. During his tenure, GW’s counseling program became the first RAMP certified school in the division.
He’s one of those rare principals who is always prepared to engage staff, parents and the community in conversation about effective research-based educational practices, and he does so while being completely approachable,” said Director of School Counseling Gregory Forbes.
Mazur said he was truly humbled to be selected.
I’ve seen who our past Principals of the Year are and I’m really excited to be in their company. I’m also so proud of our team. This is a team effort and not a principal effort. They work so hard every day. We complement each other,” said Mazur.