Lafayette Principal Scores National Award
Janelle Uerkwitz became Murdock principal in 2006.
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA Lafayette school principal has received a national honor from the U.S. Department of Education. Janelle Uerkwitz from Murdock Elementary is one of seven winners of the Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership.
The honorees were selected from the pool of 2015 National Blue Ribbon Schools, of which Indiana had 10.
Outstanding School Leadership award winners will be honored during a ceremony November 9 in Washington, D.C. The award is a collaboration among the U.S. Department of Education, National Association of Elementary School Principals, the Association for Middle Level Education and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
A DOE biography lists initiatives and accomplishments by the school during Uerkwitz time at the helm, including helping to turn around a school in danger of state takeover into an "A" rated school, implementing an academic calendar, school uniforms and standardized test scores above other schools in the district.
This year’s award recipients are:
Jon Cerny, Bancroft-Rosalie Elementary School, Bancroft, Nebraska
Edna Coia, Francis J. Varieur School, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
James Heater, Esther F. Garrison School of Visual and Performing Arts, Savannah, Georgia
Rosalba De Hoyos, Achieve Early College High School, McAllen, Texas
Heidi Smith, Frank L. Huff Elementary School, Mountain View, California
Irma Trosclair, South Crowley Elementary School, Crowley, Louisiana
Janell Uerkwitz, Murdock Elementary School, Lafayette, Indiana
The award is named for the second Secretary of Education.