Axt named principal of the year

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Seward High Principal Scott Axt was recently named the Region 1 Principal of the Year by the Nebraska State Association of Secondary School Principals.

Axt came to Seward from Grand Island Northwest in 2015.

He said he was honored to receive the award.

“I had no idea. It was definitely a surprise,” Axt said.

He was nominated by SHS Assistant Principal Rich Eber, who worked under Axt for six years as a teacher before moving to his current role.

“Mr. Axt always encourages the teachers and students to be the best that they could be. He encouraged the teachers and students to get out of their comfort zone to try and learn something new,” Eber said.

Nate Seggerman, NSASSP Region I president and principal at Norris High School, said the nomination process includes recommendations from fellow administrators.

Nominees from all five regions are reviewed by a selection committee and the winners announced at the organization’s annual banquet.

“The region winners are then in the running for the state level awards which occur at the State Principals’ Conference in December,” Seggerman said.

Region 1 covers most of southeast Nebraska.

Axt said it was nice to be recognized, but the honor is really about the staff and students at Seward High.

“My job is to let our staff and teachers do their job, and they do a great job,” Axt said. “We try to support them the best we can. They’re the ones who have a lot of different expertise. They’re the ones on the front lines, and I just try to give them the tools they need.”

Eber said he appreciates the level of commitment Axt shows in leading the high school.

“I have continued to see all of these traits and then some (in) the amount of time Mr. Axt puts in to ensure that the school runs smoothly and the teachers and students don’t have to worry about any of the logistics of the school day,” Eber said. “Mr. Axt has created an environment where teachers and students can be as successful as possible.”