Kelly Aramaki
Beacon Hill International School Principal Kelly Aramaki was named this year’s Washington State Elementary School Principal of the Year by a panel of principals representing the Elementary School Principals Association of Washington (ESPAW), a component of the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP). Aramaki was one of three finalists chosen from a field of 18 statewide nominees.
He learned of the news at a surprise school assembly the morning of Monday, March 11.
AWSP will honor him ay the joint Washington Educators Conference in Seattle this October. Meanwhile, he advances to the elementary national competition/celebration.
Aramaki has been principal at Beacon Hill since 2011. He presides over a Title 1 language-immersion international school, where 86 percent of the student body are students of color and more than 32 percent speak English as their second language. More than two-thirds of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunch programs. Many families are new immigrants to the United States, coming from such countries as Vietnam, China, Laos, Mexico, Guatemala, and Somalia. (end)