Susan Worthington, assistant principal of West Orient Middle School in Gresham, has been named Oregon Assistant Principal of the Year.  A middle level educator for 30 years, Worthington has served as assistant principal for the past nine years in the Gresham-Barlow School District. 

A strong believer in continued professional growth, she has not only been involved at her school and community, but at the state and national level, as well.  Worthington has served as President of the Oregon Middle Level Association, and on the Executive Council of the National Middle School Association.  She is currently on the National Association of Secondary School Principals'"Assistant Principal Task Force."

At West Orient Middle School, students have demonstrated high-test scores for the past three years with a range of 79-82 percent meeting the state standard in reading and 73-82 percent meeting the state standard in math.  The school has continued to earn a “Strong” rating from the state and this past year made Adequate Yearly Progress as measured by No Child Left Behind. 

One of her staff members states, “Sue is the heart and soul of our school; our staff and students love her.  It amazes me how she can be fully involved in the daily lives of all our students and yet still manage all of her administration duties.  If you were to walk down the hall with her, she would say hello to every student by name, and have a praise statement to give to a student.  Sue whole-heartedly believes in success for all students.”