Lang receives national Terrel H. Bell award

Crestline Elementary School principal Karissa Lang has been recognized as one of nine educators nationwide to receive the Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership. 

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel A. Cardona announced the recipients for the 2024 award last week. The honorees will be celebrated during the National Blue Ribbon Schools awards ceremony on Nov. 7. 

“Schools that raise the bar count on school leaders who raise the bar,” Secretary Cardona said in a press release. “As recipients of the Terrel H. Bell Award, you have driven change, shaped school cultures and fought for excellence in education. The Bell Award recognizes your relentless dedication and celebrates your impact on your school and your students.” 

The Terrel H. Bell Award, named after the second U.S. Secretary of Education, honors school leaders committed to using education as a transformative force. This accolade is part of the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, where principals are nominated by their school communities during the final stages of the application process. 

Presented by the U.S. Department of Education in collaboration with several national education associations, the Bell Awards acknowledge the essential roles principals play in guiding their students and schools to excellence, often in the face of significant challenges. 

Crestline Elementary School recently earned recognition as one of five schools in Alabama to achieve the title of a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School. This honor, awarded by the U.S. Department of Education, highlights schools that demonstrate outstanding academic performance or make significant strides in closing achievement gaps. 

Crestline is among 356 schools nationwide to receive this honor, which is the highest national award bestowed upon a school by the U.S. Department of Education. 

Hartselle superintendent Brian Clayton said Lang possesses multiple attributes that lead to her success.  

“Mrs. Lang has a tremendous work ethic and has tremendously high expectations of herself, the adults in the building and her students.  She has those high expectations though with a structure that she is instrumental in building that has tremendous support,” Clayton said. “Additionally, she is willing to demonstrate on a daily basis of what that support looks like.” 

Lang joined Hartselle City Schools in 2017. Prior to her current role, she spent 15 years in the Decatur City Schools district as a teacher, assistant principal and principal.