For the last four years, Assistant Principal Nancy Schickner's leadership and enthusiasm have endeared her to students, parents and staff at Hollywood Elementary School in College Park. It's no wonder they were sad to see her go.
"She was just so easy to work with. I can't say enough about how pleasant she is," said Lupi Grady, co-president of the school's PTA. "While I'm sad for Hollywood, I'm happy for her new school."
Schickner's new school is University Park Elementary School, where she officially began her first stint as a principal July 1.
"It's really an amazing opportunity," said Schickner of Ellicott City. "To be able to make a difference school-wide and to also help teachers become better is, to me, very exciting."
Schickner, 46, has worked in education for 24 years. She spent her first three years teaching at Hillcrest Heights Elementary School in Temple Hills, then moved on to Hollywood as a teacher and testing and curriculum coordinator.
"They are so lucky to get her. She's just fabulous," said Hollywood principal Barbara Caskey. "She sees what needs to be done and gets it done."
One of Schickner's main priorities was to get parents involved in their children's learning, so she organized many afterschool events, including instructional nights with science, math and reading themes to improve at-home study habits.
Schickner hopes to apply the same approach to University Park families.
"Part of my plan is to get to know everybody," she said. "It's an amazing community. Very welcoming, very involved. It's been a really cool transition."
Schickner lives with her husband, David, a state mortgage fraud investigator, and their 7-year-old son, Matt.
Caskey believes Schickner will succeed at University Park Elementary because it has a similar background to Hollywood — high test scores, a multicultural population and a thriving English as a Second Language program.
Fifty-eight percent of students at Hollywood are Hispanic, compared with 30 percent at University Park.
Both schools performed well above the county and state averages on the 2008 Maryland School Assessment, a state-developed test to satisfy requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which requires states to measure and consistently improve student performance.
At Hollywood and University Park, 85.6 and 83.6 percent of students scored proficient or better in math, compared with 63.8 percent in the county and 76.1 percent throughout the state.
On the reading portion, 90 and 89.1 percent scored proficient or better, compared with 71.2 percent in the county and 86.2 percent state-wide.
Caskey also predicted that parents, students and staff will be won over by Schickner's positive attitude.
"She's a very warm and enthusiastic person. The kids and the families [at Hollywood] really love her and respect her," Caskey said. "I think she'll be wonderful. I think the school will take to her right away."
