The principal of Mount Dora Middle School, who is a former teacher in Leesburg, is being honored with a prestigious award.
Chad Frazier, principal of Mount Dora Middle School, has been selected by the National Association of Elementary and Middle School Principals as the National Distinguished Principal for the State of Florida.
The program honors outstanding elementary and middle-level principals who ensure that America’s children acquire a sound foundation for lifelong learning and achievement.
Each year, NAESP congratulates principals from across the nation in both public and private schools, and overseas, for their exemplary achievements. The organization chooses one principal from each state, and Frazier, an educator for 16 years, is the 2021 selection for Florida. He will be honored at a ceremony held in Washington, D.C.
Frazier started his career teaching science at Carver Middle School in Leesburg and was identified early in his career as a teacher leader, serving as the department chair and athletic director. He was promoted to instructional dean at Leesburg Elementary before becoming assistant principal at Lost Lake Elementary and later at Eustis Heights Elementary, where he was part of a turnaround team.
The next year, Frazier was selected as Assistant Principal of the Year for Lake County and was one of three finalists for Assistant Principal of the Year for the state of Florida. In 2016-17, Frazier was appointed principal of Eustis Heights Elementary, where he served until July 2019. In the 2018-19 school year, Eustis Heights made a 104-point gain, moving out of differentiated accountability status and five percentage points away from being a “B” school. Frazier was appointed principal of Mount Dora Middle School in July 2019.
Rob Feltner, a Regional Executive Director for the district, said, “Mr. Frazier was selected to represent principals in the state of Florida because he has many characteristics and qualities that allow him to be a highly effective leader, coach and mentor. Mr. Frazier is the lead learner of his school and has the capacity to lead learning for those he serves and is committed to leading whatever school he serves in achieving school excellence. He has an incredible amount of knowledge about teaching and learning and he keeps what is best for students at the forefront.
“He is a creative thinker when it comes to curriculum and instruction. He sets high standards for his students and his entire staff. Mr. Frazier is a tireless worker in the community, continuously meeting with community partners and business owners to build trust and partnerships for his students and staff. Mr. Frazier is seen as a voice of reason by his peers and is highly respected by his peers and administrative teams.”
Frazier was chosen by Lake County Schools to attend the “School Turnaround Leaders” program at Harvard University and has presented multiple times at Florida Association of School Administrators (FASA) conferences on school turnaround leadership. He is an active member with FASA, NAESP and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and believes wholeheartedly in the quote by Fisher and Frey, “Every student deserves a great teacher, not by chance, but by design.”
