An Alabama educator with local ties has been named the 2009 Middle Level Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Ray Landers, a Greene County native and brother of EastView Elementary School Principal Dale Landers, was surprised with the award Wednesday morning in a visit to his school by Alabama Gov. Bob Riley.

"I'm very excited about it," Landers said in a telephone interview Wednesday afternoon. "It's quite an honor."

Landers is principal of Boaz Middle School in Boaz, Ala., a school of 520 students in grades 6-8.

He noted that 60 percent of his students qualify for free or reduced lunches.

Dale said his big brother has "done a great job" in helping Boaz Middle School's economically disadvantaged students be successful in school.

Ray said the award brings recognition to Alabama, to the Boaz City School System and to the teachers at Boaz Middle School.

Both brothers joked that they compete to see who garners the most awards.

Ray recalled how proud he was of his younger brother when EastView received the No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools award in 2004.

Ray said the two have a "friendly competition" when it comes to their accomplishments.

Dale, who has been EastView principal since 1988, said he often tells his older brother that he has to work harder because he doesn't have as much experience as principal.

Ray is in his ninth year as principal at Boaz, and he also was an administrator in Grant, Ala.

"He and I get together, and we compare notes on a regular basis," Ray said.

Ray often comes home to Greene County, and he most recently visited in July, he said.

His mother, Sue Landers, and other siblings Terry Landers, Barbara Hall and Brenda Mathes, all live here. Their father is the late Robert Landers.

Ray was born in the Horse Creek Community and raised in Mosheim.

He is a 1969 graduate of West Greene High School and holds a bachelor's degree in education and business administration from Berea College in Berea, Ky.

He also holds two master's degrees, one in elementary education and one in educational administration, and an education specialist degree in administration, all from the University of Alabama.

He also has some doctoral work at Vanderbilt University.

His first teaching job was in 1973 at McDonald Elementary School, where he worked for three years before moving to Alabama.

He and his wife, Ann, have two children, Leah and Tyler.

Landers will be presented the award at a banquet on Oct. 25 in Washington, D.C.

Mark Wilson, of Morgan County High School in Madison, Ga., was named the National High School Principal of the Year on Aug. 29.

The search for the 2009 MetLife/NASSP National Middle Level Principal of the Year began early 2008 as each state principal's association selected its State Principal of the Year.

From this pool of state award winners, a panel of judges selected three finalists each for middle level and high school.

The six finalists each receive a $1,500 grant, and the two winners each receive an additional $3,500 grant for their schools.

In 2005, Dr. Linda Stroud, principal of Greeneville High School, was one of the top three finalists for the award that Landers has received. At that time, she was principal of Greeneville Middle School.

The award is given to recognize high-achieving principals, who make "a daily investment in our children's future," the press release stated.

Landers and his staff launched a year-long study on poverty and how it affects the learning process. As part of the student, Landers and his teachers took a bus trip to each of the poverty-stricken areas in Boaz, according to the press release.

During the trip, he and the teachers walked through the neighborhoods and had conversations with parents and students, giving them a first-hand look at what his students face every day, the press release said.

Within a week of the trip, he and his teachers had developed new policies on homework, started a new tutoring class and began buying food for families in need, the press release stated.

This initiative bridged the achievement gap between students living in poverty and those who were not, according to the press release.

"Ray Landers is a great example of the dedication and strong leadership needed to create successful students and schools, said Thomas G. Hogan Jr., senior vice president and head of MetLife Resources. "His extraordinary efforts have created a supportive environment for his students and staff, allowing them to achieve."

For more information, visit www.principals.org/awards.