These 7 Philly principals won $20k for their schools. Here's what they plan to do with it.

Seven Philadelphia School District leaders were announced Tuesday as winners of a 2026 Lindback Award for Distinguished Principal Leadership.

Each of them receives a $20,000 check to support a project at their schools.

Here are the winners and their chosen plans:

Hagan plans to use her $20,000 to support and expand the microsociety at Patterson — a project that teaches students how society functions by allowing them to design their own businesses and government, learning about leading and following rules, obtaining loans and working together. The money will support materials and resources for student businesses that will run at Patterson, allowing children hands-on learning opportunities and the ability to “create and sell products, lead exercise classes, tutor peers, manage money and build a strong sense of community.”

Patterson, in Southwest Philadelphia, educates about 350 students.

At Wright, Beard-Brinkley wants to use the award to build on an adult-learning partnership with Temple University’s Philadelphia Safe and Healthy Schools Program, which supports leadership development, trauma-informed practices and systems to improve student learning environments. The money would also help launch the Ron Clark Academy House System, a program that focuses on building school culture. The aim, Beard-Brinkley said, is to “result in students experiencing stronger relationships, increased engagement, improved attendance, and more time on task.”

Wright enrolls about 200 students in North Philadelphia.

Burns will spend the funds to purchase two mobile storage carts that would be wheeled into classrooms to support BSCS Understanding for Life, the district’s new biology curriculum. The carts would contain state-of-the-art microscopes that, in conjunction with district supplies, will allow students to “readily connect theory with hands-on experience and, in the process, develop a life long interest in science.” The goal of the “mobile bio-wagons” is to help students see themselves as scientists.

Randolph, in Nicetown, educates 400 students in grades 9 through 12.

Johnson’s Lindback prize will propel advancement of Carver’s technology, engineering, and science departments. Carver, a district magnet, has two engineering labs and four computer labs, but much of its equipment is outdated and in need of modernization. Johnson believes the funds could be “transformative” and would allow students to remain competitive on a global stage. It would also allow Carver to offer courses like Advanced Placement Cybersecurity.

Carver, in North Philadelphia, educates 900 students in grades 7 through 12.

The $20,000 award will help begin Forrest’s performing arts program. McNear envisions a program that offers students choir, band, and oratorical contest opportunities. The money would buy a digital audio system, modern lighting, visual technology, and acoustic materials. “The project will help the school become a much more inviting space for our Philadelphia community,” McNear said. “By investing in professional quality space, we are truly opening the doors of Forrest School as a home for partners as well.”

Forrest, in Northeast Philadelphia, educates about 800 students.

Overton’s vision for the Lindback prize is a “belonging blueprint” to foster emotional safety and belonging among Penn Alexander students.

The $20,000 will allow Penn Alexander to partner with Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, an education professor at Columbia University, in racial literacy work, guiding staff to break down internal biases. The goal is helping students who feel “unseen” move into a place of “true intellectual and emotional safety,” Overton’s Lindback application read. Funds will drive social emotional learning, community workshops, yoga and mindfulness practice, and more. “The proposed ‘Belonging Blueprint’ project will ensure that wellness and equity are not mere buzzwords, but lived experiences for every student, educator, and family in their community,” Overton said.

Penn Alexander educates 600 K-8 students in West Philadelphia.

Singletary’s $20,000 prize will fund a “Whole-Child Academic Acceleration and Belonging Initiative” to bolster student engagement, attendance, and well-being as a path to increased literacy and math outcomes. The money would go to expand small-group instructional materials, culturally responsive texts, and intervention tools that mesh with the district’s new math and literacy curricula. It will also support schoolwide incentive systems, family literacy and math nights, translation services, and community-based events. “These initiatives ensure families are partners in student success, not observers,” Singletary wrote.

Feltonville Intermediate, in Feltonville, educates about 480 students in grades 3 through 5.