Gordon Stuckert,

principal of St. Paul Lutheran School in Peachtree City, joins 65 fellow

principals in Washington, D.C. Friday for an awards banquet recognizing

them as the 2000 National Distinguished Principals.

Selection was

made by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Association

of Elementary School Principals.

Earlier this

year, Stuckert was named 2000 National Distinguished Lutheran Principal

for the Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church, which oversees approximately

2,000 schools nationwide.

He and his

wife depart for the nation's capital tomorrow for two days of meetings,

seminars and receptions and the awards dinner and dance.

His excitement

over his selection and upcoming trip is nothing short of ecstatic. Stuckert

has thought through every detail, right down to the tux he plans to rent

and have delivered to the JW Marriott Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, near

the White House. One can almost picture him jumping up and down, the moment

he received the news.

Stuckert said

modestly, "It's a nice recognition for the whole area."

Stuckert has

guided St. Paul Lutheran School as its full-time administrator since its

beginnings in 1996 when the facility opened with 10 students in a portable

classroom to its current enrollment of 230 students in grades kindergarten

through eight.

"When

the school first opened, he was able to show the powers that be how the

school would be successful, even when a massive debt was staring them

in the face. He has created resources out of what others might perceive

as thin air. To see that school become what it is becoming is the greatest

testimony toward his use of available resources," wrote Dr. Ellinor

Black White, principal of Christ Lutheran School in East Point, in her

reference letter.

She also describes

him as a "hoot." "He has a tremendous energy level that

truly is contagious. He has an outstanding sense of humor that has been

absolutely essential to survive," she wrote.

"In my

30-plus years of experience, I can honestly say that Gordon is one of

the few simply outstanding administrators I've met."

In regard to

Stuckert's instructional leadership, Mark Brink, executive director for

school ministries in the Florida-Georgia District, wrote, "Mr. Stuckert

serves as principal in a community where expectations are high. The success

of the school is, in large part, a tribute to his determination to make

St. Paul's the best school that it can possibly be."

David Boldt,

the school's board chairman, called Stuckert "a thoughtful mentor

to his teachers... he is willing to do whatever is necessary for the students

and his teachers to succeed. He will shuffle his busy schedule to observe

a child in the classroom, or help a teacher in an emergency. Mr. Stuckert

puts children first in his ministry and that is what makes him a great

Christian educator."

Aside from

the high praise Stuckert earned from his colleagues, the students at St.

Paul have a distinctly different view of what a principal does. A kindergarten

child wrote, "They sometimes pat you on the head." Another said,

"He works on papers really hard." A second grade student hit

the nail on the head, stating, "It takes bravery and hard work to

be a principal."

The 2000 National

Distinguished Principals Program started in 1984 as an annual event to

honor the exceptional leadership of elementary and middle school principals.

There are 66 nominees, all elementary and middle school principals from

each state and the District of Columbia, plus private K-8 schools and

the departments of Defense and State schools overseas.

Each principal

is nominated by peers in his or her state and selected by NAESP state

affiliates. Honorees from private schools and overseas schools are selected

the individual be a practicing principal of a school committed to excellence,

with academic and social programs designed to meet all students' needs,

and firm ties to parents and the community.

Richard W.

Riley, U.S. secretary of education, will present each award winner with

a plaque and brass school bell at the black-tie affair.

Stuckert's

first job as an educator was at St. Peter Lutheran School in Chicago starting

in 1969. He was a teacher, youth director and athletic coach. Between

1972 and 1986, he continued teaching and picked up administrative duties

at St. Paul Lutheran School, also in Chicago. His move south came in 1986,

when he served as a full-time administrator at The Lutheran School in

Chattanooga. He remained there until 1996 when he relocated to Peachtree

City and began developing St. Paul.

He received

his B.A. degree from Concordia College in Illinois, as well as his M.A.

He took doctoral level classes at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb,

Ill.