Mountain View Elementary Principal Kim Ball felt good about the progress the school had made in her first year-and-a-half in charge, but didn't realize she was even in the running for the Ashe County Principal of the Year honors.

So when she was given the award - during what she believed to a safety training program - she was genuinely surprised.

"I was very surprised, being as new as I am," she said. "To have my colleagues think I was doing that good of a job was pretty cool. I was excited about it."

Dr. Travis Reeves, superintendent of Ashe County Schools, said Ball was selected "based on the hard work and the things she has done at Mountain View.

"It's a nice honor, and I I know it's something she's proud of and we're proud of her," he continued. "She'll go on to represent Ashe County Schools and Mountain View Elementary very well at the state competition for principal of the year."

Reeves said that he likes Ball's professionalism and her drive.

"She's very much about outcomes," he said. "She has a vision. She kind of works backwards - this is the point where she wants to be and she puts all the pieces in place to make it happen, and she sticks to her vision."

In her first year as principal, Mountain View met its Adequate Yearly Progress goal based on the No Child Left Behind program (achieving 17 of 17 goals). Results from the North Carolina state accountability model, the ABC's of Public Education, saw Mountain View's end-of-year testing scores raise from 70 percent to 81 percent. The N.C. Board of Education also recognized Mountain View as a School of Distinction.

For Ball, Mountain View is her first job as a principal after serving as the assistant principal of Ashe County Middle School for five years and a short stint at Hardin Park Elementary in Boone.

Ball, who earned her bachelor's and master's degrees at Appalachian State University, the idea of school administration seemed like the "natural progression" after spending a few years as a teacher.

"I had been one of those teachers [that] kind of stepped up into some leaderships roles as a teacher," said Ball. She noted that her peers "really supported me as a teacher leader, and in my eyes that's what a principal is: a teacher leader or a teacher coach."

After serving at Hardin Park for six months, the assistant principal job at the middle school opened and Ball, an Ashe native, jumped at the opportunity and was "lucky enough to be able to come back into the county."

Ball described her time thus far at Mountain View as "great."

"This staff is just fantastic - they have opened up their arms and embraced me, embraced the ideas that I have brought to the table and just stepped up," said Ball. She noted that good parents and a strong Parent-Teacher organization have also helped.

Looking at the future, Ball said her primary goal is to make sure that programs are seen all the way through.

"I've implemented some programs that I want to see through - that's the one thing in education that concerns me," she said. "We sometimes get things started, but the follow-through is not there. I just want to make sure that Mountain View follows through with some of the things we have in place."

Technology is another key aspect of modern education for Ball, who said she wants "to see us grow and continue to involve our community and technology. I really want to see Mountain View embrace the 21st Century learning skills, and part of that is technology."

Day to day, Ball said that the students serve as her inspiration.

"They just get so excited about the smallest of things," she said. "That fuels my fire every day, just seeing them and creating a happy place.

"I loved school, and that's what I want for every child," she continued. "I want them to feel successful on whatever level and to want to come to school every day."

Mountain View is home to 649 students and has a staff of 85 (54 teachers). To find out more about the school, call (336) 982-4200 or click to mountainview.ashe.k12.nc.us.