Bowmar Elementary Principal Tammy Burris has been named the Vicksburg Warren School District’s Administrator of the Year.

Tondia Ferracci, a STEM lab teacher at Bowmar, said Burris is humble, though she has achieved many great accomplishments.

Burris’ resume boasts accomplishments from the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching Math and Science and the Chamber of Commerce District Teacher of the Year to the Governor’s Award of Distinction and Bowmar becoming the first Leader in Me Lighthouse School in Mississippi.

Burris said she believes becoming a Lighthouse School helped her to get this recognition.

“We’re the first one in the State of Mississippi, but there’s not many in the nation or even the rest of the world,” she said. “There are other local schools that are going through the process now.”

Burris said the Leader In Me program is based on Dr. Stephen Covey’s “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”

“It’s teaching these kids how to be great citizens and teaching them all of the habits they need to be successful, not only here in school, but when they get a job,” she said. “Businesses say all the time, we can teach them what they need to know, but they need to know other things like how to get along with one another and how to get to work on time.”

Bowmar Elementary Secretary Charlotte Jackson said she was not surprised to hear Burris had won.

“It was a given she would be Administrator of the Year,” she said. “She’s wonderful.”

Jackson said the best part about working for Burris is how trusting she is of her staff.

“She allows me to do what I do best without questioning, and I know that she’s got my back,” she said. “Now don’t get me wrong, if you don’t do your job, she’ll let you know, but that only allows me to improve.”

Tondia Ferracci said Burris does not leave a lot of gray area.

“Clear expectations are always set, and I like that,” she said. “You know where you stand and what you’ve got to do.”

Burris also allows her staff to lead in their own niche, Ferracci said.

“She’s finding the leader in us just like the teachers find the leader in their students,” she said. “She’s also a data junkie and very organized and analytical.”

Taylor Chewning, a sixth grader at Bowmar, said when they found out Burris had won, Ferracci asked her to make an announcement over the intercom.

“I congratulated her and said Ms. Burris had won Administrator of the Year and told everyone to give her a round of applause,” she said. “We videoed it and showed it to her after.”

Chewning started Bowmar in 2008 as a kindergartener, the same year Burris came to be principal, she said.

“Our school is a Lighthouse School, and we show great leadership, which definitely represents her,” she said. “She is a generous person and she exemplifies great leadership.
She’s been a great principal.”

Burris said seeing the video was the icing on the cake.

“I’m very humbled because I think every administrator in our district is doing everything they can to move the district forward,” she said. “But I am very, very proud to represent Bowmar because I think we have awesome students, parents and staff.”

As for the future, Burris said she plants to keep on moving Bowmar forward.

“I graduated from Warren Central, and I’ve lived here all my life,” she said. “I have a vested interest in this community.”