Robin CoppRobin Copp, principal at Ooltewah High School, is one of nine finalists competing for the state's 2017-2018 Principal of the Year award.
The winner will be announced at a banquet Oct. 15, during the Tennessee Department of Education's LEAD Conference in Nashville.
"Successful schools begin with great leaders, and these nine finalists represent some of the best in our state," Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen said in a statement Monday. "The Principal of the Year finalists have each proven what is possible when school leaders hold students and educators to high expectations. Through investments and expansions of school leader pipeline programs, we will continue to see excellent school leaders throughout the state."
The award is given annually to a school leader who shows outstanding services in education and exceptional leadership that drives overall improvements in their school.
Copp was named principal at Ooltewah High School last summer, after the former principal Jim Jarvis was removed from the school following the basketball team's pool-cue rape scandal. Before serving at Ooltewah, Copp was the principal at Signal Mountain Middle/High.