SALEM TOWNSHIP -- Students in the Mt. Abram High School gymnasium perched on bleachers with their backpacks and jackets, ready for the weekend.

They knew something important was about to happen, because SAD 58 school board members and superintendent Quenten Clark gathered on the sidelines and someone was carrying a bouquet of yellow roses.

The students leaped to their feet moments later, exploding with applause, loud cheers and whistles when they were told that their principal, Jeanne Tucker, had been selected by the Maine Principals Association as High School Principal of the Year.

"She is, without a doubt, a leader in the profession," MPA Executive Director Richard Durost said. "Ms. Tucker demonstrates professionalism and exemplary leadership of high school reform, which includes meaningful opportunities for students, parents and staff to have an active voice in their school."

Tucker received the award based on her accomplishments as an educational leader in the areas of collaborative leadership; curriculum, instruction and assessment; personalization of learning; and contributions to the profession, Durost said.

Tucker was quick to share the praise with those around her.

"My students are the best and my staff is the best," Tucker said. "I'm passionate about being an educator and I'm passionate about our school. This job has been my life's mission."

Clark agreed with Tucker's assessment of the quality of education the rural Maine community provides.

"We do a lot of exciting and innovative work up here, but we are just very quiet about it," he said. "Mt. Abram High School is one of the great undiscovered secrets in the state of Maine."

Tucker's husband, Robert Pidgeon, stood nearby.

"I'm very, very proud of her," he said. "There's no one who deserves this any more than she does."

The MPA's May spring conference will recognize her accomplishments and she will attend the Principals' Institute in Washington, D.C. with her peers from other states. The Institute and the National Principal of the Year program are sponsored by MetLife and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

Tucker holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Bridgewater (Mass.) State College and a Master of Education degree from Cambridge (Mass.) College. She taught biology from 1971 to 2000 and was named Maine's Biology Teacher of the Year in 1985. In 1987, the National Association of Biology Teachers selected her to be part of a delegation to China. Tucker is also a member of several professional organizations and has been a presenter at leadership forums at both the state and national levels. She is currently a trustee for the Healthy Community Coalition Board of Directors, which is part of the Franklin County Health Network.

The MPA represents Maine's K-12 principals, assistant principals and career and technology center directors.