Stolley Park Principal Wins Lozier Foundation Award

Whitney Flower received a $10,000 prize and $25,000 for her school after significant student performance gains.

Updated on Oct. 23, 2026 in Primary Education

Bold vector editorial illustration of a brass compass and pen on wood, symbolizing educational achievement. — Stolley Park Elementary principal Whitney Flower received the Lozier LIGHTS Outstanding Principal Award for significantly improving student math and reading scores. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Stolley Park Elementary School principal Whitney Flower has been honored with the Lozier LIGHTS Outstanding Principal Award. The recognition follows a notable rise in student math achievement and reading proficiency scores at the Grand Island school.

Why it matters

The award recognizes school leaders who demonstrate measurable growth in MAP assessment scores. By incentivizing academic progress, the program aims to highlight effective strategies that boost performance across diverse student populations.

Stolley Park achieved a 25 percent increase in math scores over four years, with second grade reading proficiency rising 21 percent during the 2025-2026 school year. The school will receive a $25,000 grant while the principal earns a $10,000 prize.

The players

Whitney Flower

She serves as the principal of Stolley Park Elementary School in Grand Island.

Lozier Foundation

This Omaha-based organization presents the annual LIGHTS Outstanding Principal Award to Nebraska educators.

Stolley Park Elementary School

This Grand Island educational institution serves students and is the recipient of a $25,000 grant.

The details

Principal Whitney Flower earned the honor by improving student outcomes on MAP assessments through dedicated leadership. The selection process involved an expert panel of superintendents and educators who reviewed performance data from across Nebraska.

The math score comparison period began in the 2021-2022 school year.
The 2023-2024 school year served as the baseline for annual growth metrics.
Reading growth measurements occurred between fall 2025 and spring 2026.
The Lozier Foundation announced the award recipient on October 23, 2026.

Culture Shift

This award highlights a broader trend in education that prioritizes objective performance data over qualitative subjective metrics. By tying financial grants to the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment, foundations are incentivizing schools to align their curricula with standard testing benchmarks.

Families at Stolley Park Elementary can expect new resources or programs for their children, as the school leadership team will now decide how to invest the $25,000 grant. This influx of funding may lead to tangible improvements in academic support tools or classroom materials for the upcoming semesters.

The takeaway

Educators often find success by focusing on targeted growth metrics for specific student subgroups, such as those qualifying for free and reduced lunch. Implementing a consistent data-driven strategy can provide a clear pathway for schools to improve their overall proficiency scores.