KANNAPOLIS — Principal Jill Roach of Forest Park Elementary School has won the Kannapolis City Schools’ Principal of the Year Award — for the second consecutive year.

Roach, who also won the award in 1995, said this morning she was surprised — and honored — at repeating. Although Kannapolis is a system of eight schools, she said, every principal in it deserves recognition.

“I feel very honored, but Ialso feel very humbled in that Ihave a lot to live up to,”she said. “I consider it, even though we’re a small group, very much an honor, because I know how strong these principals are, and I’m very lucky to be one of them.”

It’s turning out to be a great year all around at Forest Park. Earlier this month, educators and students learned that Forest Park is the first school in the Kannapolis system to become a School of Distinction.

That means that at least 80 percent of students at the school tested at or above grade level in reading, writing and math under the state’s ABCs of Education program.

Forest Park also showed exemplary academic growth — which means students went beyond the state’s academic expectations by more than 10 percent — for the second consecutive year.

Roach credits her staff and students, as well as the “great sense of family at Forest Park and in Kannapolis City Schools” for her own accomplishments and the school’s success.

“Some of the children have come up and said ‘Congratulations, Miss Roach,’ ” she said. “And I say ‘Thanks, but you make me look good.’ ”

Superintendent Dr. Jo Anne Byerly expressed the school system’s pride in both Forest Park and Roach.

“Forest Park is a great school, and you can’t have a great school without a great leader,” Byerly said. “Jill Roach is an excellent representative of the best qualities in principals. She is a good administrator, a talented instructional leader and a dedicated advocate for children.”

Roach has been with Kannapolis City Schools since 1976. She became principal of Aycock Elementary in 1992. That school was closed in 1998 and replaced by Forest Park.

Before becoming a principal, she was a curriculum coordinator and teacher at Aycock. She also taught in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system from 1970 until 1973.

Roach earned her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and her masters degree in K-3 education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

She received her principal’s certificate from UNC- Charlotte. She is also a graduate of the Principal’s Executive Program in Chapel Hill

As principal of the year, Roach will receive $200 and a plaque from Wachovia Bank, which sponsors the contest.

Roach now moves on to a regional competition with principals of the year from 16 other school systems, including the Rowan-Salisbury Schools’ winner, Enochville Elementary Principal Patricia Williams.

The regional winner will be considered for North Carolina Principal of the Year.

Contact Scott Jenkins at 704-797-4248 or sjenkins@salisburypost.com .