Downers Grove North Principal Dr. Courtney DeMent has won the Illinois Principals Association's (IPA) statewide Herman Graves Award.
DeMent received the honor Oct. 19 at the IPA's annual Education Leaders Conference in Peoria, the DGN Omega reported. She was selected from 21 regional winners for the award, which is sponsored by Horace Mann Companies. Established in 1991, the Herman Graves Award recognizes outstanding service to the IPA.
Community High School District 99 Superintendent Dr. Hank Thiele recommended DeMent for the award, citing her 12 years of involvement with the association and her advocacy for school administrators, according to the DGN Omega.
"I recommended Dr. DeMent for the Herman Graves Award because she is a tireless advocate for IPA and the profession as a whole," Thiele said, according to the school paper. "She is a champion for principals everywhere."
DeMent serves as secretary of the IPA Board of Directors. She previously held roles as State Director, Region Director and Region Secretary for the IPA's DuPage Region. She also facilitates the DuPage Principal Collaborative and works with administrators through the West Suburban Conference Principals Group.
IPA Executive Director Dr. Jason Leahy called DeMent a "leader of leaders," noting that fellow administrators seek her guidance, the DGN Omega reported. DeMent has also presented at the association's annual conference and participated in the Illinois State Superintendent's Principal Advisory Council.
Thiele said DeMent's connections through the IPA have strengthened District 99's professional growth and access to resources.
DeMent told the school paper the organization has shaped her own leadership at DGN. "The biggest part of that is that I get to learn from other principals and bring that back to help grow our own community," she said.
Downers Grove North's Facebook page also announced the award, calling DeMent the state winner of the Herman Graves Award from the IPA.
