Mobile, Ala.: Mary G. Montgomery High School Assistant Principal Brenda Box has been selected as the Alabama Association of Secondary School Principals (AASSP) Assistant Principal of the Year. The MGM Vikings surprised her with the announcement at a special assembly and pep rally in the school gym, with Lonnie Parsons of the Mobile County Board of School Commissioners among the special guests.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime recognition, and we are very excited and proud of her,” said Principal David Diaz.

MGM has played a big role in Box’s life since she was a teenager. She graduated from MGM and attended the University of Mobile on a softball scholarship. She taught and coached at the school and worked her way up to assistant principal. She earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education, a master’s degree in instructional leadership, and an education specialist degree.  She is now in her 21st year on the staff at MGM.

AASSP is an affiliate association of the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools (CLAS). As the 2025-2026 AASSP High School Assistant Principal of the Year, Box will be recognized in Washington, D.C., as part of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) High School Assistant Principal of the Year program. There, the Alabama winner will join other state winners from across the country and compete for the title of National High School Assistant Principal of the Year, showcasing the exceptional leadership and impact of Alabama’s school administrators on a national stage.

Box is one of four MCPSS administrators to earn district awards from the AASSP and the Alabama Association of Middle School Principals (AAMSP). They include Leroy Jones of Booker T. Washington Middle, the AAMSP Middle School Assistant Principal of the Year; Tiffany Buchanan of Vigor High, the AASSP/AAMSP’s High School Principal of the Year; and Rashad Stallworth of Scarborough Model Middle School, AASSP/AAMSP’s Middle School Principal of the Year.