BY ANDREA TORTORA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON -- Winning the A.D. Albright Award for outstanding administrator is the highlight of a career, Southgate Schools Superintendent Bernard Sandfoss said Wednesday.
Mr. Sandfoss and Dixie Heights High School teacher Judy Clements were honored Tuesday by the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the Education Alliance for their personal and professional contributions to education.
The award is named after Mr. Albright, president emeritus of Northern Kentucky University and a man committed to the educational developments of the region.
"This is quite an honor. I knew Mr. Albright and worked with him," Mr. Sandfoss said. "And any time you're honored by a group of colleagues you feel humbled."
Mr. Sandfoss also has been a teacher and building administrator in large and small school districts.
He has served as president of the Northern Kentucky Association of School Superintendents and the Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services. He also was appointed by Gov. Paul Patton to serve on the School Facilities Construction Commission, a group that allocates money for school construction to local schools. Ms. Clements, honored as the outstanding teacher of the year, is a person who takes learning beyond the classroom, Ms. Fedder said.
"She actively instills a love for learning," Ms. Fedder said. Ms. Clements conducts a hands-on science program, coaches award-winning student teams and holds weekly evening parent conferences to report students' progress.
She helped develop the Northern Kentucky Academic League and has served as the high school coordinator for 15 years. Through the league, Ms. Clements provides professional development programs for other teachers.
For more than 23 years, Ms. Clements has coached academic teams. And in the 13 years of the Governor's Cup competition, the Dixie Heights team has won the first place trophy in regional competition for the past six years. The school has won at the district level for the past 13 years.
