Women of Achievement nominee: Amy Emmenderfer

Amy Emmenderfer is not just the principal of Clippard Elementary School, she is the biggest cheerleader for and inspiration to her faculty, staff, and students. She encourages and inspires her staff, which includes 56 women–many of whom are just starting their careers in education–to reach their full potential. Inspired by teachers and administrators that came before her and encouraged her, Amy is committed to success at Clippard Elementary.

Amy graduated from Cape Central High School and earned degrees in Communication Disorders and Elementary Education from Southeast Missouri State University and Central Methodist University respectively. She continued her education with two masters degrees, one in Curriculum and Instruction and the other in Elementary Administration, from William Woods University. Amy began her career in education as a Speech Implementer for the Ripley RII, Ripley Co RIV, and Naylor R1 districts before joining the Cape Girardeau Public School District in 2001. With CGPS, she has served as a speech implementer, first and second grade teacher, reading specialist, and principal intern, before becoming the principal at Clippard.

Amy keeps a busy schedule, but credits her family with helping her maintain a healthy work-life balance. Amy and her husband, Jason, are parents to three amazing children: Cole, Paige, and Cade. Despite her busy work schedule (and lots of extracurricular activities with her kids), Amy still finds time to volunteer and give back to her community. She was an active member of St. Mary’s Parish and supporter of St. Mary’s School, where she served on the Parish Council and School Board. She currently volunteers as the President and Treasurer of the Cape Central Baseball Boosters Club and coached numerous little league soccer teams. Amy has also organized and hosted numerous give back events at Clippard Elementary including the Thanksgiving Feast with Cape Nazarene Church, which serves hundreds of local families.

With Amy at the helm, Clippard Elementary School has received numerous state and national awards, including the Missouri Exemplary Professional Learning Communities School designation, the Missouri Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support Award of Excellence, and the Imagine Learning School of Excellence, in which Clippard Elementary was second in the nation. But Amy might be most excited that, this school year, she has been given the opportunity to work with a therapy dog to help her students at Clippard.