SHS principal Amy Boone unexpectedly walked onto stage at the JW Marriott during a ceremony on Nov. 22. As she went up the stage, stunned, she quickly planned a speech as her family and friends came out and cheered her on. She had just been named the High School Principal of the Year by the Indiana Association of School Principals (IASP).

“I didn’t really think I had a shot at winning, so I was very surprised,” Boone said.

Any individual who is a part of IASP has the option to nominate someone for this award.

SHS Assistant Principal Josef Horvath saw Boone working hard and growing in her first three years as a principal and believed that she deserved this award. So he nominated her.

“She continues to surpass my expectations of what a principal should be and what a hard worker is,” Horvath said. “She is one of the hardest workers I have ever met in my entire life.”

The IASP named Boone as Assistant Principal of the Year for District 7 (schools in Marion County) in 2017 and 2022 and as Assistant Principal of the Year for the state of Indiana in 2022.

Horvath says the team at SHS, under the leadership of Boone, flows due to her creative and new ideas. Boone credits her leadership team for helping to executing those ideas.

Boone also credited the support of Perry Township district level leadership during her speech at the Nov. 22 ceremony.

“All of them are here for me today,” Boone said. “And it’s not just today. They show up for me every day. They challenge me. They push me.”

Executive Director of the IASP, Todd Bess, mentioned how her attentive leadership, ability to act on things and understanding when it comes to the needs of students were key factors in choosing her as the Indiana State Principal of the Year.

“Mrs. Boone has been very active in seeking how to meet all the needs of kids,” Bess said.

Boone says she will apply for the national principal of the year award given by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. That award will be announced in April. 

Overall, Boone says that she’s very honored and surprised that she was given this award and that she continues to thank her team of coworkers and students for making this possible for her.

“I’m honored because I think they do all the work,” Boone said. “I give them the ideas and things that I’d like and then they have to make it happen, it’s fun.”