ConnieTrue Simons insisted on being the teacher when she played “school” as a youngster.

“I didn’t want to be a student; I had to be the teacher,” she said. “I made handouts for my friends, and I just loved it.”

This passion for education carried over into Simons' 13 years as an English and reading teacher at Albion Middle, where she treasures examples of students' exceptional work. She later spent six years as an instructional coach before stepping into the role of assistant principal at Midvale Middle, a position she has held for the past six years.

“I absolutely love this school and this community,” she said. “It’s unlike any other school in the Canyons School District. We have so many amazing students from around the world. When I walk through the halls, I see people from all around the world. I hear kids speaking different languages, and when I enter the classrooms, it's beautiful to see them all learning together. You have students from Mexico, Syria, Scotland, and other heritages, collaborating and building something together.”

Her dedication to students was amongst the reasons why Simons was selected as the Utah Middle School Assistant Principal of the Year, an award presented by the Utah Association of Secondary School Principals. The 25-year educator received the award at the association’s mid-winter conference in late January in St. George and a banner commemorating the honor hangs above the school cafeteria. 

“It was such a surprise to win,” she said, adding she was caught off guard hearing the news. “I had been outside for our after-school duties and as I was walking in, Courtney (Long, principal) asked me to come to the forum to help me set up for the National Junior Honor Society that night. When we walked in, all these people started clapping. I was shocked.”

Long had nominated her this past fall. Their working friendship dates to when he was a substitute teacher for her.

“For over half of my education career, I’ve worked with her,” he said. “I've never met anybody more dedicated to student success than her. She does anything and everything to help students.”

In his recommendation, he wrote: “She shows through her words and actions how much she wants to be at our school and help our kids grow academically and behaviorally. Holistic care is a core value to Connie. Additionally, she is a guru at data collection and dissemination. As we grapple with how to make systemic changes on our campus to best support our students, she leads out on the collection and data analysis needed to determine what actions will be most effective. She truly believes all students can learn and that all teachers can meet the needs of our students.”

Although Simons' role as assistant principal removes her from the classroom, she continues to teach.

“I love working with the students—even when they've had behavior issues, I talk them through what happened and what they could do better,” she said. “I’m still teaching, it's just teaching behavior rather than content.”

Her responsibilities at Midvale Middle are varied, from observing teachers and supervising students during meals, to planning assemblies and assisting with the hiring of new faculty. Currently, she's promoting a "no tardy" competition to encourage students to arrive on time for class.

Simons and other administrators also oversee goals related to literacy, STEM, and positive behavior for the school’s 801 students. This year, with Canyons School District adopting the MAP Growth standardized test, it’s been challenging.

“It’s an adaptive test, so it took us awhile to gauge where the kids were, but the data we're receiving—on vocabulary, informational texts, literary texts—is more useful than just a raw score,” she said. “As our students progress, we’re celebrating their growth.”

She also loves celebrating students’ diversity. While Midvale Middle officially has 11 native languages spoken by students, she knows many more fall under the “other” category.

“My favorite event is our culture night,” she said. “Our students perform dances or songs representative of their culture of origin, and it's a ton of fun. We have different cultural booth activities and local food trucks serving cuisine from around the world. We even have a tasting station where people can try candies from different cultures.”

Now, Simons is in the running for the National Middle Level Assistant Principal of the Year. She has submitted her application, including short essays, and in April, she will head to Washington, D.C. for the award ceremony.

“I love teaching students in every capacity,” she said. “I had a Utah Studies teacher who believed in me. She was one of those great teachers who encouraged me, and I ended up being the first person in my family to graduate from college. It was teachers like her who were a role model for me and now as I see students who are in high school coming back to visit, I hope I’ve made a similar impact on them as well.” λ