Thursday, Jan. 24, 2008
Aspiring school administrator Angel Lewis got a glimpse of life as an elementary school principal while spending the day Jan. 17 at Tulip Grove Elementary.
And she liked all that she saw.
Lewis, who is studying for a certificate in administration and supervision at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, spent the day with Tulip Grove Principal Brian Baudoin as part of the county schools’ Principal for a Day program.
‘‘We’re giving her a taste of what it’s like to be a school administrator in Prince George’s County,” Baudoin said.
Baudoin and Lewis spent the morning greeting students as they arrived at school, visiting classrooms and sitting in on staff meetings.
She immediately noticed camaraderie during the morning gathering of students outside the school.
‘‘You can tell there is a big team effort here; it’s really making me look forward to coming to Prince George’s,” Lewis said.
Lewis said she was impressed with the group of students she met.
‘‘I am very much looking forward to the experience of becoming a principal,” she said.
One of the things she was most impressed with, Lewis said, was the ‘‘data-utilization meeting,” in which staff members analyze data to improve instruction.
Lewis will finish her certification program this fall and will be placed at a school in Prince George’s or in a surrounding school district.
Her educational and professional background is in marketing and human resources, but after volunteering in an elementary school, she ‘‘fell in love” with education.
Lewis, who lives in Baltimore County, taught for three years in the District of Columbia Public Schools before leaving to work for an educational nonprofit.
Lewis learned about the ‘‘Principal for a Day” program through her adviser at Johns Hopkins and was placed at Tulip Grove. Kathleen Kurtz, schools assistant regional superintendent, said the fifth annual event, held at 110 Prince George’s County schools, is designed to give the community a look at what a principal does on a day-to-day basis. It also gives the community a chance to create a dialogue with the school.
Lewis said spending the day with Baudoin gave her a chance to learn from a principal. She hopes he will be able to mentor her in her future job.
‘‘I’m very excited about the opportunity. I’m not sure where I’m going to be placed, but I’m hoping it will be in Prince George’s County,” Lewis said.
E-mail Megan King at mking@gazette.net.
