Michele Paine is the recipient of the Montana Association of Secondary School Principals Assistant Principal of the Year Award for 2015-16.

The Flathead High School assistant principal was nominated by Principal Peter Fusaro.

“She does a lot. She is very student-centered, advises student council — all the food drives, blood drives and dances,” Fusaro said. “And she is good at curriculum. She really has a knack for it.”

Fusaro noted that Paine has helped spearhead the curricular transition of the Common Core standards and assisted with implementing intervention and behavioral initiatives. Most recently she headed up the school’s accreditation review, he said.

Paine started working at Flathead in 1999 as a reading specialist. From 2005 to 2011, she was a kindergarten- through 12th-grade language arts facilitator for the district. In 2011, she returned to Flathead as an assistant principal.

Paine is now in contention for assistant principal of the year through the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

Hilary Matheson is a reporter for The Daily Inter Lake. She may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.