Principal Alan Goodwin received the Outstanding Leadership Award from the University of Maryland at a ceremony Nov. 17. 

The UMD College of Education and Alumni Association gave Goodwin the award, which is given annually to UMD alumni, in recognition of his administrative achievements and his service to the Whitman community.

The university gave Goodwin the award due in part to the abundance of extracurricular activities at Whitman as well as the school’s response to the 2009 protest by the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church, which was met with a student-led counter-protest and educational activities.

Goodwin said receiving the award was a victory for the Whitman community as well as a personal one.

“I suppose it’s always good when the community and staff hear that a principal is recognized, just to give them a little more confidence in the principal,” he said.  “For me, it just reinforces that I should continue to focus on the things I enjoy about my leadership role and see if there’s any way to improve my performance.”

Goodwin said he gave a short speech at the awards ceremony, emphasizing his fellow principals’ contributions and the need to advocate students’ best interests.

“I felt I was accepting on behalf of all principals because all principals work hard, and also that we should all continue to keep our students in mind as we are wrestling with various federal and state initiatives, and make sure that whatever is happening is good for students.”