The Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) presented Principal Mike Williams with the Texas PTSA Lifetime Honorary Life Membership during second period April 28.

“The award is the Honorary Lifetime Membership in the PTA,” said Associate Principal Janet Wyatt. “It is the highest honor given to a person who daily lives out his or her commitment to serving students.”

Mrs. Wyatt put together the celebration held in the cafeteria to surprise Mr. Williams with this distinction. Little did she know, she would be honored right after.

“I received an email a couple of weeks ago from our PTSA letting me know that they were going to give him this award,” Wyatt said. “I met with the other APs and we picked a date where we could all be here. I then met with his secretary, Mrs. Bates to make sure his calendar was clear.”

The ceremony was a surprise to Mr. Williams, who believed he was arriving for a meeting with the school board.

“I had no clue,” Mr. Williams said. “I really appreciate the teachers taking the time out of their academic schedule to allow your classes to take part.”

The PTSA chose to honor Mr. Williams for his dedication to the student body and to work hard for the benefit of the school.

“We value the effort and the fact that we have our own principal as part of our PTSA and the things that we do and programs we bring to all students,” said PTSA President Kim Cubbage. “We appreciate how he supports everybody in the school.”

The AP staff feels the same about Mr. Williams and his dedication to get to know his students.

“Mr. Williams is truly a servant leader,” Mrs. Wyatt said. “He always tells me ‘It is not about me, it is about our students’ and he truly lives by that. His main priority is making sure our students have the best education and are the best. He really feels as though the students at Wylie East are his kids too.”

Mr. Williams felt moved by the celebration and shared his appreciation to the teachers and everything they do.

“I realized during the presentation that when you start getting these honorary things you must be getting old,” Mr. Williams said. “I hope that I can be a productive leader for you and our students in the years to come. It is not about me it is always about the kids first.”