Local elementary schools to replace retiring principals
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is in the process of identifying new principals for two more elementary schools in the Mount Vernon District — Hollin Meadows and Belle View Elementary.
The current principals of those schools have had lengthy tenures and are planning to retire. [Ed.: On the MoVe did not receive exact retirement dates from FCPS as of press time.] Jon Gates, principal of Hollin Meadows, has served in that role since August 2002. Meanwhile, Thomas Kuntz has been the principal at Belle View since July 2006 and before that was the school’s assistant principal.
According to the March 22 “Dunne Dispatch,” an e-newsletter published by Mount Vernon District School Board Representative Mateo Dunne, community members can still apply to serve on the April 15 principal interview panel for Belle View Elementary. FCPS also is accepting written input on the desired skills, experience and leadership abilities of the new principal. Input can be emailed to HRPrincipalPool@fcps.edu by April 3.
FCPS hopes to have a new top administrator in place at Belle View Elementary by July 1, an official from the school system said during the March 19 community meeting on the principal selection process.
Dunne said his priority was to make sure whomever is selected “has the support of a good number of the Belle View PTA and community members.”
Hollin Meadows already has finished the community input process for its new principal and will hold a panel interview with select applicants on April 5.
Other schools in the Mount Vernon District seeking new principals include Fort Hunt Elementary and Mount Vernon High School.
Parents band together on preferences for next MVHS principal
In response to FCPS’s call for written community input on what’s needed in the next principal for Mount Vernon High School, over 70 parents and alumni banded together to sign and submit a joint letter, which was shared with Mount Vernon On the MoVe.
The group of community residents requested that the future principal have the following characteristics:
- Established roots in the Mount Vernon community to gain credibility.
- Skilled communication across multiple platforms and languages with diverse communities
- Experience with and vested interest in other schools in the Mount Vernon Pyramid
- Commitment to a system of consequences for poor and illegal behavior
- Commitment to innovative English immersion programs to improve language proficiency
- Strong promotion of International Baccalaureate and Dual Enrollment programs
- Demand and prioritization for a long list of capital improvements to modernize the school
The petition signers concluded their letter with a request:
“We must hire a principal who will build a team of administrators, staff, and teachers who believe in the motto ‘Once a Major, Always a Major!’ The principal must be prepared to enthusiastically promote the virtues of MVHS to students, parents, and community stakeholders. They must fight for capital improvements to modernize and beautify our school, promoting a sense of pride and worth in the students and staff, rather than accepting the status quo. Given the historical significance of Mount Vernon, the High School deserves only the best.”
Community input on the future Mount Vernon High School principal can be submitted to HRPrincipalPool@fcps.edu by March 29.
MVHS Orchestra Boosters seeks sponsors for spring fundraiser
In preparation for Mount Vernon High School Orchestra’s April 20 Music Marathon, an all-day, team-building immersive music experience and concert, the MVHS Orchestra Boosters is seeking “Golden Baton” sponsors who will have the opportunity to serve as guest conductors at the concert.
Both businesses and individuals are eligible to pursue the sponsorships, which enable one person to conduct the orchestra in a pop music favorite of their choosing — no prior directing experience required. Golden Baton sponsors also receive mention in the concert program and on the website, a thank-you video, an MVHS Orchestra t-shirt and complimentary conducting baton.
Other levels of sponsorship are also available.
In a letter to potential sponsors, Boosters Treasurer Kelly Woodson said the MVHS Orchestra program provides students with many unique opportunities, like exposure to guest conductors, newly composed musical selections and custom commission projects.
“Our students at MVHS deserve every opportunity to experience the positive impact of music in their lives, and providing those opportunities year in and year out requires continual financial support outside of what we are allocated by the school,” she wrote.
