by Art Davis, P.T.H.S.                  I would like to introduce myself as the new president of the Kentucky Association of Secondary School Principals. I serve as principal of Paducah Tilghman High School in the Paducah Independent School District. I am assuming the duties as president one year sooner than planned due to the retirement of Dr. Beverly Keepers (duPont Manual, Jefferson County), after a long, successful career. Beverly is a mentor to me, as well as many others across the state the state and beyond. Her service to education is greatly appreciated and will indeed be missed. Tracy Lamb served as president of our association last year and was outstanding in every way. Tracy thank you for your hard work and dedication to the vital role that our association plays in the state of Kentucky – JOB WELL DONE! This is an exciting time to be part of KASSP. My goal as your President Representative is to increase membership in the organization and to increase participants in our annual conferences. We find that as principals retire, many new principals join the membership, but do not take advantage of our conferences. The demands of our positions, as well as dissipating PD funds make attendance at conferences difficult. However, the KASSP Conferences are targeted to our specific needs, including roundtable discussions and presentations that provide updates on assessment programs (including EXPLORE, PLAN, and ACT). I  strongly believe that there are three must-attend conferences for secondary school principals – the Fall KASSP Conference, the Summer KASSP Conference and the annual KASA Conference. The fall conference will include meaningful topics for all. We will offer mandatory trainings for principals – you will find these topics as you register for the conference. A representative from the Department of Education will lead discussion regarding issues related to the implementation of Infinite Campus. Wayne Young will also update us on new laws and important issues related to our specific work. Finally, Jon Draud, Commissioner of Education, or a representative from his office will be in attendance. With that said, the most important aspects of membership in KASSP include the irreplaceable networking aspects with colleagues dealing with the same issues you have and the voice this organization provides in Frankfort, at home, and in our communities. For these aspects to be effective, we must have high levels of participation from principals across the state. We need your support for our organization in terms of membership and conference attendance. I urge you to be a part of KASSP through membership and attendance at conferences. Our organization has been strong for more than 50 years. It represents our needs in an effective way related to various mandates we confront year to year. Let us continue to work together as we advocate more realistic standards and accountability efforts that result in higher levels of learning for our students. There is strength in numbers – each one of you is vital.