Dr. Shannon Buff had the red carpet rolled out to her Tuesday in a surprise gathering at Newton High School. When she walked into the school’s gymnasium at approximately 11:25 a.m., Buff was greeted by the entire Ram student body and local community members with celebration. 

The reason for the gathering was to officially announce Buff as the 2024 Secondary Principal of the Year by the Georgia Association of Secondary School Principals (GASSP). 

Buff’s first word when taking the microphone after the announcement was, “Wow.” Afterward, she described the day in three words — Overwhelmed, humbled and surprised. 

In the moments following the ceremony, Buff could not believe what had just transpired. 

“I think I’m still in shock right now,” Buff said. “I am honored, I am humbled. To me, this award is not about me. It’s about Newton High School. I think there are a lot of times when schools like Newton get overlooked and passed over for things they shouldn’t. Because we have an amazing group of students, an amazing group of faculty and staff and they deserve to be lauded for things like this.” 

GASSP’s announcement

Wanda Law, GASSP’s associate director and Kerensa Wing, chair in charge of events and recognition were on-hand for the special announcement. 

Law shared that GASSP recognizes middle and high school principals throughout the state each year. The principal fills out an application once they are nominated. From there, a committee views all applications and they bring it down to final candidates. 

This was the second year Buff was a finalist, too, and was the only female finalist this year. 

Then, the interview process takes place with the committee. Once the interview process is concluded, GASSP announces the winner. 

Michael Santoro of Creekview High School and Brett Savage of Brookwood High School were the additional high school principal finalists, per a Newton County School System (NCSS) press release. 

Wing stated what separated Buff throughout the process. 

“Dr. Buff has stood out tremendously. She has a true love of her students and community,” Wing said. “She really represents the school’s culture and leading learning in a way that we want to see across the state. So, we’re truly impressed by the work she’s done with her staff to empower others and provide some collaborative and shared leadership as well as lifting up student voice.” 

Board chair and vice chair’s remarks

Board chair Abigail Coggin was present and delivered remarks about Buff on the special occasion. 

“Today marks a tremendous occasion for the Newton County School System,” Coggin said. “Dr. Buff, your exceptional leadership and dedication have not only affected Newton High but also set a remarkable example for our entire educational community.”

Vice chair and District 3 representative Shakila Henderson-Baker spoke, too, in addition to giving comments after the celebration’s conclusion. 

Henderson-Baker said it was “over-the-top excitement” for both Buff and the entire NCSS. 

“It means a lot for us to have Dr. Buff, and especially Newton High School, the principal of Newton High School, be the principal of the year for high schools,” Henderson-Baker said. “And here is why. I remember at one point Newton High School used to get a lot of negative attention. And what does that say now? It is evident that they have some great things going on.”

Henderson-Baker continued sharing her excitement for, not only Buff’s individual honor, but the future of Newton High School as a whole. 

“See, we remember the bad news, but most people don’t talk about the good news. And this is good news. And good news always overshadows that bad news. So, under her leadership, I expect to continue to see more great things come from it with this title. I expect to see her gain relationships with people from legislators to  people from across the state. Newton High School will be recognized for what it is. Go Rams.” 

Notable attendees/surprise

Buff’s parents and brother showed up as well to help celebrate along with her husband, Bart Buff. 

District 1 representative Trey Bailey and District 4 representative Anderson Bailey attended the celebration, too. School district employees such as chief operations officer Dr. Michael Barr and student services director Dr. Ashante Everett attended. Former NCSS superintendent, Samantha Fuhrey came, too, as well as current superintendent Dr. Duke Bradley III. 

Bradley relayed that he first heard of Buff receiving this honor a week and a half before the Tuesday celebration.

“It’s been very difficult to keep it under wraps,” Bradley said. “But, in collaboration with the school administrative team, we’ve been able to do that.” 

Afterward, Bradley said that the whole celebration went “better than expected.”

Buff concurred that it was, in fact, unknown to her prior to her arriving at the gym. 

“The admin team did an unbelievable job of surprising me,” Buff said. “I had no idea. When I walked in and saw everyone I knew something, but it took me a minute…it jarred me just a little bit to figure out what was going on. Of course, when I saw my husband, and my mom and dad, my brother and I knew at that point what it was. The amount of effort that went into surprising me is phenomenal.” 

Other notable community figures were in attendance as well: Newton County Board of Commissioners chairman Marcello Banes, county manager Harold Cooper, Newton County Chamber of Commerce president Debbie Harper and the executive director of the Newton County Industrial Development Authority Serra Hall among others. 

Banes shared his thoughts during the ceremony as well. 

“We’re so thankful for you and all that you do here in this community,” Banes said. “You are putting Newton County on the map.”

Buff’s love for Newton High

Since 2017, Buff has been at the helm of Newton High serving as the school’s principal. Prior to that, she was a teacher and assistant principal at the school before becoming the Director of Secondary Education. 

Buff told The Covington News that she was also a student teacher at Newton High. 

“I’ve always loved Newton High School. When I went to the county office and then had the opportunity to come back, it’s just been amazing. The kids are what draws you to this place. I know I keep saying they’re phenomenal, they’re amazing, but that’s because they are,” Buff said. “And this community is great. We have a community that really loves our schools. So, to have that, is really an amazing thing.” 

Seeing the stands filled with all of the Newton High student body “meant the world” to Buff. 

“I can’t imagine receiving an award like this without them. The faculty and staff, the kids. Newton is a very special place,” Buff said. “I know people say that about their schools all the time. But Newton is an incredibly special place and I truly love these students. I love the faculty and staff. My administration team…second to none.” 

What’s the next step in the process?

Law and Wing told The News of the upcoming steps in the process to represent Georgia on the national level. 

First, Buff will complete a national application that is due in May. She will have to get a student, a parent, a community member, one of her leadership team members and one of her teachers write letters of recommendation. 

Wing stressed that there’s much more work ahead for Buff to compete on the national stage for National Principal of the Year. 

Nevertheless, Buff expressed her eagerness for the chance ahead. 

“At a time when public education seems to be attacked from all fronts, given the opportunity to have a platform to speak about what is actually done in schools — the work that goes on each and every day, the staff members that love kids and literally take the shirts off their back to give to the students,” Buff said. “I’m excited about being able to advocate and to represent the state of Georgia at the national level.” 

News editor Evan Newton contributed to this story.

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