Renton Schools Superintendent Dr. Mary Alice Heuschel Represents Renton at Denver Conference

Renton Schools Superintendent Dr. Mary Alice Heuschel, who's made recent headlines as a 2011 National Superintendent of the Year finalist and for her , was not selected on Thursday by the American Association of School Administrators during their annual conference in Denver, Colo.

Marc Johnson, California’s Superintendent of the Year, was chosen for the award, which was announced shortly after 3:30 p.m., pacific standard time.

Not long after the news, Dr. Heuschel's achievement made ripples among other news items in the sea of social media.

"Congratulations to Dr. Mary Alice Heuschel, National Superintendent of the Year finalist. While the top award went to another," Tweeted @CityofRenton, "Dr. Heuschel proved once more that Renton really is Ahead of the Curve!"

The Washington Association of School Administrators named Dr. Heuschel as the state’s 2011 Superintendent of the Year in November. She was one of four superintendents considered for the national honor that was announced on Thursday.