NAESP Dedicates Dawn Hochsprung Tree of Life Memorial

Communicator
February 2014, Volume 37, Issue 6

To honor the life and service of longtime NAESP member and late Sandy Hook Elementary School principal, Dawn Hochsprung, the NAESP Board of Directors has established the Dawn Hochsprung Tree of Life Memorial. The memorial, which is displayed at the NAESP Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, was created to honor elementary and middle-level principals who have made an extraordinary sacrifice during their career as an educator.

NAESP President Nancy Flatt Meador officially dedicated the memorial to Hochsprung on Friday, February 21, to an audience of NAESP Board Members, NAESP staff, and invited guests. NAESP Board Director Jillayne Flanders reflected on Hochsprung’s memorial service, which she attended representing the NAESP Board of Directors and NAESP members. “There’s not a principal I know who would have not done the same thing [as Dawn Hochsprung],” she said. “To be able to do this in her honor and in the honor of all principals who will protect their children and their staffs is a bit overwhelming.”

The memorial “tree” features a trunk comprised of the interwoven bodies of children, or “angels,” that leads to a large blossom of leaves. Each leaf is designed to bear the name of an individual to be honored.

Details for the nomination process, which will be administered through NAESP state affiliates, will be announced this spring.

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