Standout principal: Job requires vision, compassion and willingness to get dirty

By Brian Nordli

Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014 | 2 a.m.

Lee Esplin had no idea what he had accomplished as a top school administrator until a colleague nominated him to be elementary school principal of the year.

He never had time to think about it, too busy wearing the many hats of a principal each day at Treem Elementary School. As he filled out the application for the award, he realized he and his staff had accomplished a lot.

In addition to his daily efforts at Treem, he’d helped organize an effort to get assistant principals back in schools after budget cuts. Esplin also serves on the executive board of the Clark County Association of School Administrators and Professional-Technical Employees.

His accomplishments were enough for him to be named the state’s Elementary School Principal of the Year.

Esplin joined Garside Junior High School principal Scarlett Perryman and former Chaparral High School principal David Wilson as Principals of the Year for Nevada in 2013-2014. Committees in the state’s Secondary Principal’s Association and the Elementary School Principal Association selected the three winners.

Wilson was responsible for heading the school’s turnaround efforts. Under his guidance, the school went from graduating 34 percent of students when he arrived to 62 percent in his final year. He is now the assistant chief student achievement officer for rural schools.

Perryman and her staff have helped close achievement gaps for students in the free and reduced lunch program, English Language Learners and special education. It has been enough to put the school on the cusp of becoming a three-star program in the Nevada School Performance Framework.

All three principals will be honored at the Nevada Association of School Principals on Nov. 18.

The Sun caught up with Esplin to discuss the honor and see what it takes to be a good principal. Here’s what he had to say:

What does it mean to you?

I was very honored. I truly believe the heart and soul of a school is the people in trenches, the teachers and people working with the kids every day. I’m just honored to work with people in my school.

What accomplishment has meant the most to you in your time as principal?

For me the most gratifying thing is when you work with a teacher, classroom or school and you put something in place and it’s successful, you see kids grow from it. When I was principal in Boulder City, they did a Civil War re-enactment. It started with one teacher and his class, and now the whole school is in it and people fly in from out of state to watch it. If kids can live an experience, they learn a lot more than just reading it out of a book.

What do you think makes a good principal?

They need to be a good listener, have good communication skills and be a good people person. They need to be someone who has a vision and can help others see that vision and move in that direction. I learned that if you surround yourself with good people, good things happen.

What do you see as the role of a principal in school?

I see the role as jack of all trades, master of none. In elementary school, as a principal you do everything from taking out garbage when the custodians are out to wiping down lunch tables to comforting kids when they’re crying on the first day. You name it, you do it. You’re always on the go and thinking on your feet to make sure everything is covered and the kids are getting what they need. There’s not a dull moment.

What advice would you give to a new principal?

One piece of advice I would give somebody starting out is come in and learn about your surroundings and find out what’s working and not working and then develop a plan to implement any changes that need to happen. Don’t come in gung ho and ready to change everything. There is a lot of good things happening and a lot of hard-working people.