Antelope Valley Principal Wins National Honor

If you’re looking for Pearblossom Elementary School Principal Sharon Millen, you might want to bypass her office and head straight for the basketball court, where she is likely to be shooting free throws with some young hoopsters. Or she might be hunkered down on a classroom rug, reading to a rapt book enthusiast.

Because her fingers are in so many pies, it was a surprise to no one but Millen that the energetic educator was recently named the state’s 1998 National Distinguished Principal by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Assn. of Elementary School Principals.

“Sharon is a walking, talking model of what every principal tries to be,” said Fran Madison-Cohee, principal of White Oak Elementary School in Westlake Village. “Her philosophy is that if we all work together, there’s absolutely nothing we can’t do.”

Last week, Millen and 60 other public and private elementary school principals--from every state and some overseas American schools--attended a black-tie reception in Washington. U.S. Education Secretary Richard W. Riley presented each administrator with a plaque and a brass school bell.

The Antelope Valley educator was nominated for the award by colleagues who urged her to go through the rigorous application process.

Out of five finalists, Millen was named the state’s distinguished principal by seven Assn. of California School Administrators committee members, four of whom were past recipients of the national award.

“Sharon’s got it all,” said Jean Fuller, superintendent of the Antelope Valley’s Keppel Union School District. “She’s energetic, organized and self-motivated. She does 100 million things for the students and teachers at the school.”

She’s also not afraid to make students giggle if it achieves her goals.

That is why Millen, 54, once dressed up like a gold miner and rode a donkey down the hill to campus to reward students who fulfilled a challenging reading contract. She has also kissed a snake and a frog, and last year hosted an all-school sleepover on campus for students who met reading goals.

“Everyone knows why she’s here,” said Pearblossom third-grade teacher Kathy Behen. “The children always come first. She bends over backward to get the community, newspapers and parents involved. She inspires us to be as creative as she is.”

“I love the kids,” Millen said. “I want this to be a happy, safe place for them. I want to make a positive contribution to their lives right now.”

The Oklahoma native, who earned her master’s degree in education at Pepperdine University in 1977, started her education career as a Riverside kindergarten teacher in 1967.

Four years later, the mother of six moved to the Antelope Valley to teach at Sage Elementary School. Later, during her tenure as principal at Castaic Elementary--at that time, the only school in the Castaic district--she rallied community support for a second campus--Live Oak Elementary--where she served as principal for four years.

Millen’s current post at Pearblossom Elementary School, which commands a view of the Antelope Valley and the San Gabriel Mountains, has allowed the educator to galvanize the vast support team that she says has helped make the school environment so special.

Among Millen’s initiatives are the 100 volunteers she has organized to help in the classrooms, library and to lend a hand with the school’s myriad special projects.

“We support one another as a family,” said Millen, a 1995 State Administrator of the Year. “It’s an awesome task that I take seriously, and it has a ripple effect collectively.”

Although Millen participates in state- and national-level committees charged with improving education, she says that her main focus is always with her students.

“The real reason we exist is the kids,” Millen said. “And I can serve them best through my role right here at school.”