In his over 22 years as a principal and 11 years as principal of American School of the Hague (ASH), Tim Messick has focused on fostering a collaborative “we” mentality within staff, students, and parents. With a leadership style described by colleagues as resilient, empathetic, and patient, Messick helmed the transition from one to two campuses when ASH created a self-contained special education program for high needs students, while still fostering a sense of cohesion and school identity. This new special education program, along with the opening of an Early Childhood Center, means that ASH is now a truly inclusive school. Under his leadership, the school has experienced an increase in standardized testing across all curricula, with fall 2016 MAP data showing elementary students performing above U.S. and international standards. Messick himself has taken the lead in rolling out a special fourth-grade leadership curriculum, which he instructs, providing individualized mentorship to students, resulting in positive feedback from students, teachers and parents. Promoting teacher swap programs, regular peer visitations to classrooms and instilling a collaborate spirit within the division, he helps grow a strong culture of professional development among instructors. During the summer, he serves as an adjunct professor with Trenton College as part of their summer abroad program. Messick holds a B.S. from Concordia University, an M. Ed. from University of Oregon-Eugene, a Certificate of Advanced International School Leadership from Principals’ Training Center, and an Educational Leadership Certificate from The College of New Jersey.