Middle grades students are unlike any others. They are no longer young children, but they are not yet adolescents, and they have their own unique needs, both emotionally and academically.

It takes an exceptional educator to lead middle grades students to success. One such educator is Bonnie Kaufman, assistant principal at James Monroe Middle School in Sierra Sands USD, who has been named ACSA’s 2009 Secondary Co-Administrator of the Year.

Kaufman said one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, aspects to the job is helping some students bridge the gap between childhood and being a successful middle school student. The key, she said, is the educators who lead them.

“I have spent my professional career at the middle school level. Experience has taught me that for students and teachers to be successful, they need to have dynamic leadership,” she said.

A middle grades teacher for more than 15 years, Kaufman has had the opportunity to work with many students, each of whom presents their own unique personalities.

“I truly love the middle school student,” she said. “I truly believe that each and every student is unique and arrives to us from elementary school with something to share. All students are able to shine, and it is our job to find that something special in each of our students.”

Kaufman said one highlight of the assistant principalship is the opportunity to work with a variety of people and to tackle a variety of challenges each and every day. For example, recently Kaufman has been working with the Parent Teacher Student Organization to create a special “haunted gym” for Halloween, as well as related activities for younger children who might find the haunted gym too scary.

“Dealing with different kinds of people every day is very rewarding,” Kaufman said. “There is never a dull moment and each day brings new questions and new things for me to discover.”

But the PTSO isn’t all fun and games. It also helps students feel supported and involved in their school, something the students of James Monroe haven’t always had. For example, when Kaufman began in 2004, she worked to get a leadership/associated student body class in the master schedule. Previously, the only leadership-related activity available to students was an after-school club.

“As a result, we are having more activities during school and during lunch time, which helps give our students a positive culture that they can participate in,” Kaufman said.

One project Kaufman has taken on in recent years is the development of a workable school safety plan that is aligned with state requirements. An important component of the plan is anti-bullying, and Kaufman set up mini-workshops for students and visited every classroom to role-play and practice how to avoid becoming a victim. Another component is emergency evacuations.

“The school safety plan was developed by myself and our school safety/discipline committee,” Kaufman said. “We meet on site to discuss what can keep our school safe. We have implemented a procedure whereby students and teachers understand what is expected of them during an evacuation – if they are in a classroom as well as if they are between classes or at lunch.”

Kaufman also works to ensure all other stakeholders at the school and district level are on board with the safety plan.

“Bonnie is responsible for the school’s safety plan and she executes this plan meticulously,” wrote Principal Clara Finneran in a nomination letter. “She is always willing to hear concerns, and acts on them quickly. At a recent staff meeting she coordinated the thorough discussion of a safety scenario… She has been of assistance to the district office as they work with a grant writer for a safety grant.”

Dave Ostash, principal of Burroughs High School, said Kaufman is known as a true professional who is dedicated to student success.

“When working with students Bonnie is firm, fair and consistent,” he wrote in a nomination letter. “She approaches discipline with an appropriate sensitivity to student needs, yet firmly so that there is a universal understanding between right and wrong throughout the student body. She initiated an anti-bullying program at JMMS and was integral in the start-up of a peer mediation program. Both of these programs are fully operational and are now considered as vital student support services.”

Kaufman said she is honored to be recognized for the award, and is especially honored ACSA recognized the remote, high desert district of Sierra Sands.

“I feel this award goes out to all the people I work with and have worked with; those who held me up during my first year as an assistant principal and those who continue to support and help me with their time and answers to my many questions. I enjoy going to school every day,” she said.