GASTON – Martha Paige has been chosen by her peers as the best of the best.

Paige, the current principal at Gaston Middle School, was chosen by the principals of Northampton County as Principal of the Year for 2005.

&uot;I hope that I was selected Principal of the Year because of my work and because of the love and devotion I have for children,&uot; Paige said.

&uot;I am honored, but humbled at the same time,&uot; she added. &uot;I would be remiss if I didn’t say it was a good feeling to be principal of the year and to know that what I love to do is recognized by others.&uot;

Paige is a longtime veteran of the Northampton County Schools, having returned to the county after teaching for 13 years in the New Jersey public schools.

She began her career in Northampton County as a Language Arts and Social Studies teacher at Squire Elementary School where she taught for six years.

Administratively, Paige began her career as an assistant principal at Rich Square Creecy Elementary School and stayed in the same capacity when she went to Northampton County High School – West in 1994.

From January of 1996 until June of 1999, Paige was the Title I/Elementary Education Director for Northampton County Schools.

Following that service, she was named Principal of Conway Middle School. She remained in that capacity until transferring into her current position in July 2002.

At Gaston Middle School, Paige has led the students to academic success. In 2005, her school met both Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) and expected growth. Her school also met both standards in the 2003-2004 school year.

Paige gave the credit for making such growth to her staff.

&uot;I appreciate the staff at Gaston Middle for their support in helping me reach my full potential,&uot; she said. &uot;I appreciate their implementing my ideas and helping achieve my goals.&uot;

Northampton County Schools’ Superintendent Dr. Kathi Gibson said she was pleased to have a high-quality administrator like Paige on her team.

&uot;Martha Paige is without a doubt one of the best instructional leaders I have ever met,&uot; Dr. Gibson said. &uot;She is a well-rounded principal and I am always pleasantly amazed at the ways she comes up with new ideas to enhance learning.&uot;

Gibson pointed to &uot;Hands-on Fridays&uot; as a good example of Paige’s work. The program means that every teacher at GMS must do hands-on activities on each Friday.

&uot;She handles the school well and works well with the community and the parents,&uot; Dr. Gibson added. &uot;It is a pleasure to have principals who work well in every area and she’s one of them.&uot;

Paige earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from North Carolina Central University and then gained her teaching certification at Kean College in Union, New Jersey.

She took graduate-level courses at Montclair State College in Montclair, New Jersey and East Carolina University in Greenville before earning a master’s degree in administration and supervision from Kean in September of 1989.

Paige is the mother of a daughter, Sabrina Paige Hunter, and a son, Lonnie Paige Jr. She also has four grandchildren.