PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Seven Philadelphia school principals are being honored with the prestigious Lindback Award.
The administrators are being recognized for their leadership and contributions to their communities. The award includes a $20,000 prize for the honorees to use at their schools.
This year’s awards will be presented at a ceremony Thursday evening.
The 2025 honorees are:
— Awilda Balbuena, Gloria Casarez School
— KaTiedra Argro, Philadelphia High School for Girls
— Melissa Bragg, John Hancock Demonstration School
— Paula Furman, AMY at James Martin
— Marla Travis, West Philadelphia High School
— Nichole Polk, Potter-Thomas School
— William Lawrence, John Marshall School
Among this year’s honorees is Melissa Bragg, the principal at the John Hancock Demonstration Schools.
Bragg has seen an influx of students who are English language learners at Hancock’s two campuses in Morrell Park in the far northeast. She intends to use the $20,000 prize to create language laboratories at each location.
“I plan to use the money to create two mobile language labs, one at each campus, where students and their families can have access to different supports in their native language," Bragg told KYW Newsradio. "I also have a deaf and hard of hearing continuum for grades K-8, and I want to provide additional resources for anyone in my school who might want to learn ASL."
Bragg is finishing her third year as principal, but she's made a quick impression, uniting the students in the school’s K-5 and grades 6-8 campuses, which are two miles apart.
"It's really nice when I see all of my students in grades K-8 in the same type of uniform," she said. Bragg said she was humbled that her team nominated her for a Lindback Award even though she’s a relatively new principal.
Christian R. Lindback was the president and owner of Abbotts Dairies. The Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation recognizes seven Philadelphia principals each year.