Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School Principal Awarded First FPSE Principal of the Year Award

The Georgia Federation of Public Service Employees (FPSE) selected Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School principal Kimberly Gibbs as its first-ever Principal of the Year award winner.

Gibbs received the honor during a special ceremony in February, but the FPSE wanted to share the moment with her school community as well. After the school day came to an end on March 18, 2025, the King Middle School leadership team, GOTeam, PTA members, and a few select students gathered in the school cafeteria to celebrate Gibbs’ award.

“I was surprised, but honored,” Gibbs recalled. “To me, this is the work that I do because I love it. This is what I do for kids because I love kids, and kids deserve only the very best.”

FPSE is a labor organization in Atlanta Public Schools (APS) that promotes and advocates for public employees, while also providing a variety of supports. This was the first year the organization decided to have a Principal of the Year award and Gibbs was one of five finalists considered for the honor.

“We support our members with insurance that they need, additional financial support should they need it, as well as celebrating when good things are happening at their schools and in their lives,” FPSE Member-President Jennifer Saunders said. “We had five finalists for Principal of the Year, and they were selected based on input from staff and input from the community. We looked at test scores and how the school performed, but that wasn’t the heaviest weight at all when determining the winner.”

In addition to the personal award of $2,500 presented to Gibbs, FPSE also pledged to raise money to support the school financially for the next school year. “That is so special because my kids deserve every opportunity that every other kid has,” Gibbs said. “That $10,000 will be amazing because we’ll be able to add some new technology… All of that is going back to my babies.”