Greetings, SJLES students, families, and community members! Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year. I am thrilled to begin my fourth year as Assistant Principal here at SJLES.
While I love my role as a school leader, I have had what feels like a lifetime of other professional experiences before coming to SJLES. Beginning my career in special education, I was a middle school special education teacher for three years in Baltimore County and then for three years at Elkridge Landing Middle School here in Howard County. Desiring to support others more, I served as a Resource Teacher for the Department of Special Education until 2018, at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. During that time, I also had the pleasure of being an administrator for the BSAP Saturday Math Academy. My incredible experiences with the BSAP SMA staff and families influenced my pursuit of school leadership opportunities. As a result, in 2018, I joined the Cedar Lane School as the Instructional Program Design Leader and Inclusion Liaison. In 2019, I joined the administrative team at Hollifield Station Elementary School. I reflect on all 17 years of these experiences and how each one has uniquely prepared me to be of service to the students, staff, and families of SJLES. As for my own educational background, I hold a B.A. in Communication Science and Disorders and a M.Ed. in Special Education from James Madison University, an Advanced Certificate in Study in Educational Leadership and Organizational Change from Towson University and hold Administration & Supervision I Certification.
When I am not here at SJLES, I love spending time with my sons, both of whom are HCPSS high schoolers and athletes. I also enjoy supporting local restaurants and businesses, and can almost always be found out and about in Howard and neighboring counties trying new places to eat or taking advantage of the fun activities our area has to offer! Additionally, I am an adjunct faculty member of Howard Community College, where I have continued my passion for teacher education and have written and taught special education and child growth and development courses since 2009. As a parent, community member, and lifelong educator, I thrive on building positive working relationships with families. We are all truly in this together, and I look forward to supporting your child in these early years of their educational journey. I invite parents and community members to reach out to me at any time with questions or ideas for how we can improve our practice or support your child.