Anna Hipps, an assistant principal at Chapel Hill High School, was named the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Assistant Principal of the Year.
Superintendent Pamela Baldwin surprised Hipps and announced her award on April 12, greeting her in the school lobby with flowers and a balloon.
Hipps was demure winning the award, stating, “I think I just have always been committed and a hard worker.”
In a thank you letter to fellow staff members, Hipps wrote that “the recognition is less about my work and more a reflection of the wonderful things that happen in this school each day.”
The award is the first she has won for her work as an assistant principal.
Hipps has been an assistant principal for eight years, the past four at Chapel Hill High School.
Originally a high school guidance counselor, Hipps returned to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for administration courses to add to her masters degree in school counseling.
“I really enjoyed having other ways to work with teachers in the building and being more involved in overall school operations,” she said.
Hipps will be formally honored at the district’s awards ceremony in May.
“We are very proud of Ms. Hipps and grateful for her service to our school,” Principal Charles Blanchard said. “It is a tremendous honor for our school to have her named Assistant Principal of the Year.”