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New Principals Ready to Welcome Students

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

When students return to school this August, some will be greeted at the door by a new principal.  Of the new DC Public Schools principals for School Year 2014-2015, eight come from the DCPS family as part of the inaugural class of the Mary Jane Patterson Fellowship (MJP), an intensive 18-month program to build DCPS leaders into extraordinary principals. At this “principal boot camp,” fellows attended executive leadership sessions at the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, received personal leadership coaching, were mentored by high-performing DCPS principals, went on field trips to other school districts, and took up principal residences at DCPS schools.  

In addition to leaders from the DCPS pipeline, our other new principals come from all over the country and boast a wide range of backgrounds. Acknowledging that every school is unique, DCPS held a nationwide search for principal talent that would be the best fit for each school.

Get to know a few of our new principals for 2014-2015:

Eric Bethel – Turner ES

Eric Bethel was born with education in his blood.  Photo of Eric Bethel, Turner ESHis great- grandmother was one of the first African American teachers hired in Montgomery County Public Schools. His parents were both educators. A native Washingtonian, Bethel’s grandparents (on both sides) and parents graduated from DC Public Schools. Bethel himself has been in DCPS since 2002, having worked as a teacher, master educator, and assistant principal, among other roles after receiving his masters in elementary education from Mount Saint Mary’s University. But he has always aspired to become a principal. That’s why he pursued the Mary Jane Patterson Fellowship.

“It was like training for the Olympics—really intense,” he said.

The program has made him into a stronger, more confident leader and he now feels fully prepared to lead Turner Elementary School in Southeast, DC.  His favorite exercise in the program was playing out school scenarios and identifying problems in each scenario. “The other fellows would uncover where I had failed in each situation, and these experiences helped me gain deep, deep insight. Every time we did it, I had an AHA! moment.”

He had another moment this summer when he found out he would lead Turner. “I was ecstatic.  I was so thrilled!  I immediately called my wife. I’m still on cloud nine.”

He recently wrote an email to staff, asking to meet them and introducing the values that will guide his leadership—empathy, high expectations, always being a learner, and integrity.  He wrote, “I have no doubt in my mind that if we pull together as one, focus sharply on what matters most, and relentlessly chase excellence in those things, then we will exceed everyone's  greatest expectations of our community, even our own.”


Heather Hairston – C.W. Harris ES

Photo of Heather Hairston, C.W. Harris ESHeather Hairston was enjoying teaching at Beers Elementary when someone slipped an application for the Mary Jane Patterson Fellowship into her mailbox at school.  It had a smiley face on it, which she later found out Principal Gwendolyn Patton had drawn.  Taking the not-so-subtle hint, Hairston became a part of the inaugural MJP class which led to her current principalship at C.W. Harris.

“Because of the program, my perspective of what makes a really good school is different,” said Hairston. “Before, I thought it was just teachers and students. But now I know it’s more than that. It’s partners, families, central office, data… I’m now able to see that great schools mean more than just great teachers in front of kids.”

Interestingly, Hairston became interested in education by chance. She walked into a school where her friends’ mother was principal. A little girl was crying and she talked to her and got her to stop crying. The secretary came out and said, “If you can get Mikayla to stop crying, then you really ought to be a teacher.”

The rest is history. “I ended up thinking about what the secretary said, and decided to get my masters in teaching and education leadership from Trinity University. And now I can’t imagine myself anywhere else but in schools,” she said.

She was touring the monuments with a visitor when DCPS called (while she was on a Metro escalator, no less)—she was going to CW Harris! “My cheeks were hurting from smiling,” Hairston said. “I’m excited to be part of something really big.  Our families send us their best. When I make decisions, I want them to know that we are making the best decisions in the interest of their children.”


Katie Lundgren – Marie Reed ES

Katie Lundgren was watching the World Cup with friends in Boston when she missed an important call. Her husband told her it was a 202 number and Lundgren immediately ran outside to call back. It was DCPS—she was going to Marie Reed, where the current principal, Eugene Pinkard, had been promoted to instructional superintendent. “I started jumping up and down and when I got back into the restaurant I could not stop smiling,” she said.  “I was so amazed by the [interview] panel at Marie Reed—from the dual language program to the commitment of the staff. Everyone works together in service of students. Principal Pinkard had built up an amazing foundation. I was just elated.”

Originally from a Signal Mountain, a small town in Tennessee, Lundgren first became interested in education when she tutored students at a school in Memphis. “I saw how brilliant these kids were and how they didn’t have as many opportunities as they deserved,” she said.

She applied for Teach for America after attending Rhodes College. As soon as she started teaching, realized education was going to be her lifelong path.

She moved to DC in 2004 and worked at Higher Achievement, an education nonprofit, followed by grad school at Harvard and then a return to DC to become Assistant Principal at Stuart-Hobson Middle School. The she found out about the Mary Jane Patterson Fellowship Program, which promised robust preparation to become a principal.

Her favorite part? Meeting the other leaders in her cohort.  “We are each other’s strongest allies and supporters. I know I can call any one of them and get assistance on a question I may have and they all feel the same way as well. “

She understands that a lot of good things are happening at Marie Reed, and views her role as continuing the progress. “Principal Pinkard is leaving behind a real gem of a school.  He’s worked so hard to hire great people and promote great people so that there are not only really good systems in place but also a true heart and passion in place for kids. I’m really excited to continue that work. I’m here to serve.”


Elizabeth Namba – Hyde-Addison ES

Elizabeth Namba has been around the world and back—literally. Boston, Moscow, Addis Ababa, New Delhi-- Principal Namba has taught students across the continents but found they shared one similarity: “Kids are naturally optimistic. You can see their excitement everywhere.”Photo of Elizabeth Namba, Hyde-Addison ES 

It’s that excitement that keeps Namba in schools. An environmental science and geography major at George Washington University, Namba and a friend tutored science to students for six months. “I will never forget walking into the school and seeing students so excited. While I was there only 45 minutes a week, I saw how much the teachers did for the kids. It was the best experience I had in college,” said Namba. Influenced by that experience, she decided to pursue teaching in Boston, and received a master’s degree in education from University of Pennsylvania soon after. After her stint overseas and in Alexandria, Virginia as an administrator, she jumped at the opportunity to work in DCPS. “From that first experience in college, I’ve always wanted to work in DC,” she said.

Namba is looking forward to rolling up her sleeves at Hyde-Addison. Her style of leadership is listening- and student-focused. “There are adult decisions and kid decisions. We need to act in the best interest of the kids,” she said. She’s also created surveys for teachers and parents to give feedback, and intends on keeping that door open throughout the year. 

“At my previous school, I worked a lot with parents and strived to be open and transparent. They respected the decisions I made because I always explained the reasons. I told them if you have a concern about a specific class or teacher, I’m here to listen and to talk about it. If teachers and parents need a third party, I’ll try my best to hear everyone’s side of the story. Communication is the key. Listening is key,” she said.

She should know-- as a former teacher and mother of two children, she can see both sides.  And after all that globetrotting, today she enjoys spending time with her two little boys growing tomatillos and beets in their garden.


Kim Spence – Simon ES

Kim Spence started teaching at age five.  “As a little girl, I loved school so much,” she said.  “I would act like a sponge and take all that information and come home and teach my siblings what I learned. We’d sit on the porch and eventually the neighborhood kids started coming too.”

She would collect anything her teachers didn’t want and assemble it all—easels, papers, supplies—on her porch. Neighborhood parents loved it. “I would make my friends memorize their phone numbers and addresses. If the kids didn’t want to play school anymore, I would tell their parents and they would make sure the kids would sit and listen to my lesson! It’s weird when I think about it now… but it was what I wanted to do.”

That love of teaching has only grown. It led to education degrees from Goucher College and Coppin State University and to a 14-year career in Baltimore and most recently a principal stint at Church Creek Elementary School in Belcamp, Maryland, and now, Simon Elementary. 

Even now, you can still hear the excitement in Spence’s voice as she talks about the upcoming school year.

“Today I’ve already talked to three parents and it’s only noon! I ask everyone this: What do you love about Simon? What do you believe is a challenge? What do you want me to know about you? And what do you want to know about me?” she said.  “I’m also not shy to ask families for their phone numbers—I will call them if I need them for something! The parents really seem to like that.”

Spence is also pumped up about the less glamorous work—evaluation, data, instructional strategies, test scores.  She’s particularly passionate about what she calls professional learning communities—weekly meetings to discuss what’s working in the classroom, and what’s not. “We look at the academic condition of each student, one at a time, and discuss how to support them, “Spence said. “Teachers have a love-hate relationship with these meetings—they may not like it because it’s another hour per week spent in a meeting, and yet they love it because at the end of the quarter you can see what’s effective, and they’ll know it’s because of their techniques and best practices.”

What does Spence like to do in her spare time? Go to the beach… with a book about education in hand. “I love reading books and then telling my leadership team about it when I’m back. New research, new data, new information, new insights—it puts you on the cutting edge and you can bring it back to school. That’s what I love to do.”


Dr. Yetunde Reeves – Ballou SHS

Yetunde Reeves is moving across the country to lead Ballou. Reeves started out as a social studies teacher in Oakland, California, received her masters from UCLA, and another masters and doctorate from Mills College. Photo of Dr. Yetunde Reeves,  Ballou SHSShe has since worked in a number of leadership roles around the San Francisco Bay Area, including as founding principal of EXCEL High School  in Oakland, where Dr. Reeves built a college-going culture with over 75 percent of the school’s graduates going on to college. For the past two years she was executive director of secondary education in Hayward, California. She’ll bring these diverse experiences with her to Ballou.

“In Oakland, I worked with parent leaders who helped craft agendas for parent meetings, chaperoned events, outreached to other parents, supported teachers in their classrooms and were partners with the school. I hope to build those same kinds of relationships with Ballou parents,” she said.

With these relationships, she aspires to foster the same kind of college-going culture at Ballou as she has in her previous roles.

“Parents should be exposed to college along with their students. I would invite parents to participate in college tours and suggest areas that might interest them,” she said. “For example, at a previous school, parents asked for more information on financial aid and selecting a college. Rather than assume that parents should know those things already, we made it our responsibility to work with them to be responsive to their needs.”

She also knows that a successful school starts with trust, and she’s already getting started. Dr. Reeves is hosting Talk Tuesdays this summer, inviting parents to share their experiences, expectations, and concerns. She’s also planning to conduct home visits, attend community events, and host dinners—anything to build trust and increase parent involvement.

Said Dr. Reeves, “I want to tell parents that my goal is to help students reach his or her full potential—I believe every student should be prepared for college and career, and I’ll support every Ballou student on this journey.  And I want to thank parents for trusting us to educate their students.”