MERRIMACK – Sharon Putney is first in the state at being second in command.

The Thorntons Ferry School assistant principal was named Assistant Principal of the Year this month by the New Hampshire Association of School Principals.

Putney was nominated by art teacher Pamela Lewis and a parent, who worked with Principal Bridey Bellemare to complete an extensive nomination process, including gathering Putney’s resume and letters of recommendation and writing five essays.

“Sharon is a thinker and a problem-solver,” Lewis wrote in her letter of recommendation. “From streamlining our bus dismissal process to improving school safety to daily test-taking tips to encourage students to try their best on the
NECAP test, Sharon’s innovative approach to her job is inspiring.

“I admire how she can clearly focus on the ‘big picture’ while at the same time attend to the daily necessary details that take place at any elementary school. She handles challenges well and thinks through problems carefully until she finds a solution that truly fits the needs of our students and staff.”

The process of becoming Assistant Principal of the Year didn’t end with the application. After being named a semifinalist, Putney traveled to Concord to be interviewed by a panel of education officials, ranging from superintendents to school board members.

Next came a three-hour tour of the school. It was guided by students who were so excited about their assistant principal’s nomination, they created “Putney Power” buttons mimicking flower power pins of the 1960s to wear during the visit.

The judges interviewed students, employees and community members.

On Dec. 28, Putney received word that she was the New Hampshire Assistant Principal of the Year. She was honored Jan. 10 at the association’s winter conference. She was joined by Bellemare, Superintendent Marge Chiafery and Assistant Superintendent Mark McLaughlin.

“I didn’t realize the process was going to be as rigorous as it was,” Putney said. “It was overwhelming to me because of the number of people who spoke on behalf of me.

“Everyone has been so supportive. It’s very humbling.”

Putney is in her fifth year as assistant principal at Thortons Ferry. Before that, she worked at the high school for 18 years coordinating the gifted and talented program.

She called Bellemare “a fabulous mentor.”

“We have more of a partnership here,” Putney said. “We’re a great team together.

“This school is great. … They work so incredibly hard, the staff members in this building; we want to support them. … I have to say the kids, the staff, the parents, they’re all supportive of each other. They all work together for the kids. There’s a warmth in this building.”

It isn’t only professional support, but also personal support that helps Putney thrive. She said her family, including her husband and two teenage daughters, understand how important her job is to her and have made sacrifices to allow her to be the best possible assistant principal.

“It would be very difficult to be in a position like this without that support,” Putney said. “I don’t even think I would have taken the position.”

There are three major projects she has finished while serving as assistant principal of which Putney is particularly proud.

The first is the multiyear rewriting of the art and music curriculum for the school district. She started this when she was still working at the high school and included every district art teacher on the committee. It was finished in the spring, and is in a large white binder, covered with student artwork, which is also included throughout the thick manual.

“I do feel like it’s a state-of-the-art curriculum. It’s their hard work,” she said about the art teachers. “To have that completed now while I’ve been assistant principal is a good sense of accomplishment.”

Putney believes the emergency planning and procedures that have been put in place at the school are topnotch. Thortons Ferry has a crisis team that meets on a regular basis to practice drills and emergency scenarios. Everyone on the team is FEMA trained and familiar with using a defibrillator.

Putney implemented the use of incident feedback forms after a drill or real emergency, which Putney analyzes to see what went right, what should be improved and the like. These forms are now used throughout the district.

Putney said a major difference has been made through her attendance team, which meets once a month. They collect data regarding absent and tardy students and see what they can do to help solve these issues.

Sometimes it’s a letter or phone call to the parents; for others, it’s setting up a reward system for the child to get them motivated to come to school.

“We’re trying to be proactive in dealing with those attendance issues at the elementary level so it doesn’t go on at the middle school and high school,” Putney said. “We’re not seeing the numbers we did. There’s a decrease in the number of kids being absent or tardy because of these efforts.”

Erin Place can be reached at 594-6589 or eplace@nashuatelegraph.com. Also, follow Place on Twitter (@Telegraph_ ErinP).

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