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Aaron Philips will no longer call the shots next year when he trades his position as a principal at the Heather Ridge Alternative School for the job of assistant principal at Tuscarora High School.

But Phillips doesn't mind. "I'll just be a leader behind the leader," he said. "It will be a learning experience."

After heading three years at the head of Heather Ridge Alternative School, the county's only school serving students who have with severe behavioral and emotional problems, Phillips is moving on to a new challenge.

In the fall, he will become one of four assistant principals at Tuscarora High School, which has about 1,680 students to Heather Ridge's 120.

Meanwhile, Denise Flora, co-principal at West Frederick Middle School, will take the lead at Heather Ridge.

The change became effective July 1, and Flora and Philips have already started working together to ensure that the principal transition goes smoothly for Heather Ridge teachers and staff.

The change was a personal choice for Philips, who has worked in Frederick County Public Schools since 1985. He said he has always wanted to work in a high school.

"This was a unique opportunity," he said. "The last time I was in high school was when I was a student."

Phillips has worked as a teacher at East Frederick Elementary School, served as assistant principal at West Frederick Middle and Heather Ridge, and as a principal at Ballenger Creek Middle School.

While Heather Ridge still serves some high school students, the alternative school is much different from other high schools. The environment is much stricter and there are no boosters, athletic organizations or clubs.

The role of a principal at Heather Ridge is also different. At Heather Ridge, students are fewer and require more individual attention, so a principal must be able play different roles — from guidance counselor to teacher, administrator, or intervention specialist, Phillips said.

"You have to be very quick on your feet," he said.

Ann Bonitatibus, the Frederick County associate superintendent for secondary education, said Flora was selected as the new Heather Ridge principal from 15 candidates.

"Ms. Flora just rose to the top of the candidates," Bonitatibus said. "She has just a passion for students in alternative education. She was really a natural fit."

Flora has more than 24 years of experience as an educator and has worked in schools across Maryland, including the Ridge School of Montgomery County, which serves students with emotional and behavioral disturbances as well as students with learning disabilities and heath impairments.

In Frederick County, Flora has worked as an assistant principal at New Market and West Frederick Middle Schools.

Because of her experience in alternative education, in 2006 she was selected to participate on the Heather Ridge task force — an organized effort to analyze and improve the programs and services available for Heather Ridge students.

The school system is still in the process of implementing some of the task force recommendations. Bonitatibus said she is confident Flora will be as capable of implementing them as Phillips has been over the past three years.

In the past winter, Flora also filled in as an acting Heather Ridge principal, while Philips was out on sick leave, and she knows that the program can be as demanding as it is rewarding.

"Since I have run programs such as Heather Ridge before, my adjustment will not be as great as some others may experience," Flora wrote in an e-mail to The Gazette. "I am looking forward to being back in this type of environment. … I also look forward to working with the staff at (Heather Ridge) and begin planning for the school year."

E-mail Margarita Raycheva at mraycheva@gazette.net.