Schools

Teachers Group Names Fairfax Principals of the Year

Fairfax County Federation of Teachers recognized nine principals across Fairfax County, including two from Burke-area schools.

This post was reported and written by Tysons Corner Local Editor William Callahan.

As teachers handed out end of year awards to students this month, some educators also took time to honor the accomplishments of principals,  too.

For nine years, the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers' Principal of the Year Awards have given FCPS employees the opportunity to rate their superiors through a survey administered between April and May.

“A good principal sets the tone for employee morale and accomplishment,” said FCFT President Steve Greenburg in an email.  “Those who respect their staffs, and encourage their professional voice and autonomy rate most highly. There is little as important as a good principal. They provide the support to staff that then allows them to improve student achievement.”

This year, two principals from Burke-area schools were recognized by FCFT: Lake Braddock Secondary School's Dave Thomas and retired Robinson Secondary School principal Dan Meier.

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“Dan Meier sets the bar for great principals. More should follow his lead and example rather than remain the status quo,” one teacher wrote in a survey submitted to FCFT for the awards. 

One teacher at Lake Braddock called Thomas an "exceptional principal who listens and encourages in spite of the tasks mandated from above to validate their job security he must implement. He is invaluable. He has been in our shoes and knows what teaching really is.”

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Principals are evaluated anonymously by their employees on how well they support their staff, whether they build morale, how they handle disciplinary decisions, whether they help build positive relationships with parents and the community, and more.

School Board Member Ryan McElveen said the awards were a great opportunity for FCPS employees to honor their principals.

“It's great to award our educators in as many venues as possible,” he said in an email. “Although we do so at the county level, in a county with as many schools as Fairfax it helps to have groups like FCFT that can reach out to teachers and school staff and directly gauge their input on our principals, and then recognize them accordingly."

Full List of Award Recipients

Anita Lynch - Bren Mar Park Elementary School
Suzie Montgomery - Laurel Hill Elementary School
Emily Cope - Hunters Woods Elementary School
Christine Gray- Oakton Elementary School
Marti Jackson - Frost Middle School
Jeff Yost - Woodson High School
Dave Thomas - Lake Braddock Secondary School
Dan Meier - Robinson Secondary School
Michael Romanelli - Kilmer Center


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