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Springville Junior High’s Miley awarded principal of the year

By Sarah Hunt - | Feb 6, 2023
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Tiffanie Miley, principal of Springville Junior High School, center, poses with Nebo School District staff after being named Utah Middle Level Principal of the Year for 2023 by the Utah Association of Secondary School Principals.
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Tiffanie Miley, principal of Springville Junior High School, has been named Utah Middle Level Principal of the Year for 2023 by the Utah Association of Secondary School Principals.
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Principal Tiffanie Miley, center, poses with Springville Junior High School students after being named Utah Middle Level Principal of the Year for 2023 by the Utah Association of Secondary School Principals.
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Principal Tiffanie Miley, center, poses with Springville Junior High School staff after being named Utah Middle Level Principal of the Year for 2023 by the Utah Association of Secondary School Principals.

Springville Junior High School’s principal, Tiffanie Miley, was awarded the Utah Middle Level Principal of the Year for 2023 by the Utah Association of Secondary School Principals.

One of the reasons why the UASSP selected Miley as the recipient this year is because of the “transition from a traditional leadership team, with one teacher from each department, to a structure consisting of different teams to achieve different purposes,” according to a statement by the UASSP. Miley and her school leadership team implemented the change in her first year as principal.

“I feel kind of overwhelmed by it a little bit, mostly because any good things that happen in a school are not because of one person. There are 100 adults who come here every day to work with our kids. Anything that happens in a school is definitely a group effort. So it feels strange to be the one recognized when we have so many great teachers and administrators who come here every day to make a positive impact in the lives of our students,” Miley said.

The new teams of teachers are designed to give each other support, train them to effectively assist students, and help them continue to learn and develop new teaching skills to use in the classroom, while incorporating their own individual talents and passions.

A Springville Junior High teacher said, “Tiffanie sees the teachers she’s working with as whole human beings and treats us with respect and care. Knowing this allows me to show up and put more care into my students because I know I am seen and valued and someone is putting care into me.”

Team members go to conferences, read books and give each other trainings in large and small groups.

“I just tapped into the teachers’ innovation and creativity, and it has made all the difference,” Miley said of the process of making new leadership teams.

One of Miley’s passions in her career has been mentoring instructors. After completing her master’s thesis on this topic, she spent 10 years of her career mentoring teachers, which can be seen as one of the main values of the new leadership teams.

“I was an English teacher for 14 years, so I know that in the beginning, teaching is difficult. I loved mentoring new teachers while I was teaching. I loved both of these roles, but thought, ‘OK, if I want to be able to help all teachers, a role I could do that in is administration.’ Rather than just working with some teachers, I would be able to work with all teachers and help them to be able to meet the needs of their own students everyday,” Miley said.

Since Miley’s first year as principal in 2019, the system has grown and been refined. Teachers continue to learn how to become better educators and better meet their students’ needs in these teams.

“We are so proud of Tiffanie’s leadership. She is committed to creating a nurturing, loving, kind environment where her teachers and students thrive,” said RaShel Shepherd, director of secondary education for Nebo School District.

“Tiffanie is the quintessential school principal, possessing the traits, desires and capacities for successful school leadership. Her leadership style is based on trust, something she generously gives and receives. Tiffanie possesses a strong background in effective instructional practices. She is an expert in the art of coaching/mentoring, being one of the most well-read administrators in our district on this subject,” said Troy Peterson, Nebo’s supervisor of junior high/middle schools.

Miley attended Brigham Young University for her bachelor’s degree in English education and her master’s degree in teacher education. She received her administration license from Southern Utah University.

Miley continues to mentor through this new team leadership structure and said she enjoys helping school administrators and teachers reach their full potential.

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