MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — The Manatee County School District has named its Principal of the Year, recognizing achievements in strong leadership within the school and community.

According to the Florida Department of Education, recipients demonstrate impactful initiatives in the curriculum that enhance learning and performance in students.

Every day, Joshua Bennett walks the halls with a mission to change lives.

“My day is filled with lots of different things, typically a lot of unknowns but also really rewarding things,” said Bennett, principal at Braden River Elementary School since 2019.

He admitted to being surprised with the honor.

“Well, I was pretty shocked,” he said. “I think the district wanted to recognize our school and me as a principal because of our innovative programs at our school that we started.”

However, Bennett wasn’t always a high achiever.

He was a struggling student who had to work hard throughout his education. He realized his purpose was to help others feel like they could succeed even if they needed extra time.

Bennett started with the district in 1999 as a special education teacher.

“I wanted to be a teacher to make a great impact on students and help them catch up to their peers,” he said.

Wanting to make a bigger impact, he eventually became a principal. Over the past four-plus years at his school, he has implemented many changes, with adding a dual-language class to the curriculum being one of his proudest accomplishments.

“Next year will be its fourth year, and we see it continue to grow. It has really created an opportunity for our school to reap its benefit of increased enrollment but also for our students learning a different language,” he explained.

Bennett is living up to the name on his desk plate: “Mr. Awesome.” And he’s excited about shaping the future of the school.

“Our school has had a three-year plan,” he said. “To move to be a project-based learning school, so we have plans to continue to increase our enrollment because we are a large percentage being a choice school.”

He is staying focused on helping each student reach their full potential by molding ideas into action.

Bennett automatically qualifies for the Principal of the State achievement, with the announcement expected to take place early next year.