Dr. Alvin Taylor congratulates West Hills Elementary School Principal Candi Robertson for being named the Meridian Public School District's Administrator of the Year Wednesday morning inside fourth grade teacher Jessica Killen's math classroom.

    Stunned disbelief was the reaction of West Hills Elementary School Principal Candi Robertson and Poplar Springs fifth grade science teacher Linda Posey when Meridian Public School District Superintendent Dr. Alvin Taylor surprised the pair as the district’s Administrator and Teacher of the Year.

    Taylor went to West Hills Elementary School Wednesday morning and welcomed Robertson with the announcement that she was the district’s Administrator of the Year. Robertson was greeted while assisting in the classroom of fourth grade math teacher Jessica Killen.

    “I’m totally caught off guard,” Robertson said of the award. “Very happy, overwhelmed.”

    Robertson has been the principal at West Hills Elementary for four years. She has been an educator for 13 years. She is a native of West Point, Miss., and is a graduate of Mississippi State University.

    Taylor credited Robertson’s efforts in enforcing the district’s disciplinary procedures.

    “She has reduced discipline referrals for four consecutive years,” Taylor said. “West Hills has been rated a C or better school and it is the fourth highest performing elementary school in East Mississippi.”

    Robertson said her efforts to improve the school’s discipline starts by implementing the district’s code for (PBIS) positive behavior intervention system.

    “We believe that the PBIS structure has been implemented well within our organization of our staff,” Robertson said. “The biggest improvement has been our consistency with the structure.”

    Robertson said she hopes West Hills can see further improvement in the school’s reading and math test results.

    At Poplar Springs Elementary, Taylor cited Posey’s work in helping her students score 90 percent on a recent proficiency exam for her selection as Teacher of the Year.

    “The 90 percent score is one of the highest scores in the entire state,” Taylor said.

    Posey is a native of Meridian and has been an educator for 27 years. She has taught at Poplar Springs Elementary for the past six years. She is a graduate of Alcorn State University, Mississippi State University and Kaplan University.

    Poplar Springs Principal LaVonda Germany said Posey’s strive for continuing education is what separates her from the ordinary.

    “She is one of a kind,” Germany said. “When she came to us there were a lot of changes happening in the district. She had never taught science before, but through added training that she sought on her own, through attending conferences on her own, she has become a great science teacher. There’s never a dull moment in her class. My own child is in her class and he is constantly telling the things he has learned in her class.”

    Posey said her inspiration is an easy one to find.

    “It’s great students,” Posey said. “So many fantastic students. I just have to credit my students. Science has become my new subject, but it has worked because of great students, great parents and a great principal.”

    For Taylor, whose district faces a daunting challenge with the state mandated Third Gate Reading Exam coming in late April, Wednesday was a happy time.

    “This is the good part of the job,” he said. “Poplar Springs is one of the highest rated schools in the entire state.”