Ashlee R. Bruggenschmidt

Sharon Elementary School
Warrick County School Corporation
Newburgh, Indiana
abruggenschmidt@warrick.k12.in.us

Ashlee R. Bruggneschmidt is a firm believer in the importance of empowering others through distributed leadership. For the last decade, Bruggenschmidt has built Sharon Elementary School into a well-known community institution that “parents, grandparents, and the community wants their children to attend.” By building strategic community partnerships, Bruggenschmidt works tirelessly to meet the needs of all students of Sharon Elementary, which has high special education enrollment and a large number of low-income students. By forwarding a loving, kid-centered, personalized approach to teaching, she has successfully led the school from academic watch to four-star status, with special recognition of promising practice. Among her many community service commitments, Bruggenschmidt is the founder and president of the Play for Kate foundation, which successfully passed a state helmet law in honor of her daughter, who passed away in a tragic ATV accident. Bruggenschmidt dedicates this national recognition to Kate and her staff, whom she credits for helping her persevere through this loss. Bruggenschmidt was named Elementary School Principal of the Year by the Indiana Association of School Principals and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Southern Indiana. She holds an M.S. in School Administration from Indiana State University, a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Southern Indiana, and an A.S. in Physical Therapy from the University of Evansville.