In a year full of big awards for Spain Park High School, Principal Billy Broadway has won himself another prize.

Broadway has been named the Alabama High School Principal of the Year by the Alabama High School Association of Secondary School Principals.

“It’s always a surprise when you’re picked for something like this,” Broadway said. “There are a lot of great high school principals in this state.”

Broadway said he was chosen as Principal of the Year mainly because of everything the school’s been able to accomplish this year.

“I think winning the National Blue Ribbon award from the U.S. Department of Education was a big part of this, and winning the Blue Ribbon Lighthouse School award from Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, both in one year,” he said. “That accomplishment, for any one high school, has never been done before.”

However, Broadway was quick to spread the praise around.

“The whole reason for this is working with great students and teachers. If I didn’t have that, this wouldn’t be possible,” he said. “I never expected to be able to achieve anything like this. It’s just something that makes my career. I’ve just been blessed.”

Broadway will travel to Washington D.C. from October 16-18 to be honored for the award and to find out if he’s named National Principal of the Year. He’s already traveled to Washington this year for the National Blue Ribbon award ceremony, and is excited for the chance to go back.

Jason Gaston, spokesperson for Hoover City Schools, said Broadway’s award reflects the effort made in the entire school system.

“His award is demonstrative of the quality administrators we have in the Hoover city system,” Gaston said. “We hope he goes all the way (to National Principal of the Year).”

Broadway said while this award is important to him, the U.S. Department of Education award means the most.

“That’s the highest award any school can receive,” he said.

However, all these awards just mean that Spain Park’s doing all the right things.

“It proves to me that when you can get students, teachers and parents working together, any school can accomplish great things,” Broadway said.