By Sue Kiesewetter
Enquirer contributor

MASON - Superintendent Kevin Bright has been named Ohio's Superintendent of the Year for 2003 and is in the running for National Superintendent of the Year.

Bright

Mr. Bright received a letter this week notifying him of the award by the American Association of School Administrators.

He will be honored Dec. 11 when the local affiliate, the Buckeye Association of School Administrators, formally announces Mr. Bright's selection during an executive committee luncheon in Columbus.

"No recognition like this is possible without the efforts of many people,'' said Mr. Bright, 49. "In other words, they make me look pretty good."

Marianne Culbertson, on behalf of the Mason Board of Education, nominated Mr. Bright for the award.

It is the third time the board nominated him, Mrs. Culbertson said.

"We're tremendously proud of the accomplishments Kevin has made during his tenure as superintendent,'' Mrs. Culbertson said Friday.

"He's always looking for ways to serve kids better. In a fast-growing district that's not always easy.''

The award comes on the tail end of a year that saw Mason High School named a Blue Ribbon School in the U.S. Department of Education's prestigious school-recognition program this spring and the opening of the new Mason High School in September.

During Mr. Bright's four-year tenure as superintendent, the district of 8,000 students has consistently earned the top ranking on the Ohio Report Card.

He has served on the board of directors for the Council of Academic Excellence, as president and vice president of the Valley Superintendents Association and chairman of the High Aims Math and Science Consortium.

He joins a growing list of Southwest Ohio superintendents to win the award in the last six years, including Janet Baker, superintendent of Hamilton Schools; Kathleen Klink, superintendent of Lakota Schools; and Charles Wiedenmann, former superintendent of Fairfield Schools.

Mr. Bright joined Mason Schools as assistant superintendent in 1990 and was named superintendent eight years later.

Prior to that, he spent eight years with Findlay City Schools as assistant superintendent, director of personnel/community relations and a junior high principal.

He holds a bachelor's degree from Ohio State University and earned his master's and doctoral degrees from Bowling Green State University.

E-mail suek@infi.net