XENIA — Denny Morrison doesn’t like to take credit for much as superintendent of Xenia Community Schools. He would rather shower his entire team with praise.

So his reaction upon receiving the Buckeye Association of School Administrators Exemplary Leadership Award in Columbus Tuesday should be easy to digest.

“I don’t look at this as an award for me,” he said. “I look at this as an award for the entire district. Am I honored? Sure I’m honored. I’m not going to lie. It was very nice.”

But it was a collaborative effort as to why Morrison and the district received the award, which he proudly showed off in his office Wednesday. BASA, a not-for-profit organization that serves school superintendents and other administrators throughout Ohio, handed out similar awards to a member representing each of 10 Ohio districts.

The are more than 700 superintendents in Ohio.

According to Morrison, the nomination form states four specific reasons for the nomination: Xenia has made a focus on preparing students for the 21st century by offering STEM programs at the middle school and high school and by offering high school students options to secure over 140 course options through the Virtual Academy; the district has made significant contributions in engaging the community; It is focusing on student academic progress as demonstrated by a value added grade of A; and the district has increased student opportunities with programs such as Project Lead the Way, updating technology for student use, and returning music education to elementary schools.

“I feel there’s nothing more important in the world than working with kids,” Morrison said. “We have so many good people doing so many good things for kids.”

Good things are happening outside the classrooms as well, Morrison said.

The district is in good shape financially, the treasurer’s office became the first in Ohio to offer extreme transparency of its records online, and assistant superintendent Christy Fielding was named business operations manager of the year for 2013. And enrollment is way up.

“Everything is going well right now,” Morrison said. “So many good things are happening.”

BASA was established in 1969 and is an affiliate of the American Association of School Administrators. The mission of the BASA is to inspire and support its members, develop exemplary school system leaders and advocate for public education.