Bren Mar Park Principal Among Fairfax 'Principals of the Year'

Anita Lynch, principal of Bren Mar Park Elementary School, has been named a Principal of the Year by the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers.

For nine years, the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers has given Principal of the Year Awards to school leaders across Fairfax County Public Schools, based on results and rankings from a survey given to members each spring.

In all, including Lynch, nine principals from across the county were honored this year. See full list below.

“A good principal sets the tone for employee morale and accomplishment,” FCFT President Steve Greenburg said 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.”

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.

In addition to Lynch, eight other principals from across the county were also honored this year. See full list below.

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."

Winners include:

1. Anita Lynch - Bren Mar Park Elementary School
2. Suzie Montgomery - Laurel Hill Elementary School
3. Emily Cope - Hunters Woods Elementary School
4. Christine Gray- Oakton Elementary School
5. Marti Jackson - Frost Middle School
6. Jeff Yost - Woodson High School
7. Dave Thomas - Lake Braddock Secondary School
8. Dan Meier - Robinson Secondary School
9. Michael Romanelli - Kilmer Center