Mary Ellen Henderson assistant principal Ty Harris has been selected as the City of Falls Church school’s new principal.
“I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with so many amazing individuals to improve the academic, social and emotional outcomes of our students,” Mr. Harris said in a press release Friday.
Harris’ selection is the culmination of work by an interview committee made up of MEH PTA representatives, school and division level staff. In addition, more than 300 comments were received in an Input Selection survey from staff, students and parents.
“There is no doubt that Mr. Harris will continue to move our middle school in a progressive and positive way,” said Dr. Toni Jones in a letter to MEH parents on Thursday.
Mr. Harris joined Mary Ellen Henderson during the summer of 2014 after serving four years as a program officer with the U.S. Department of Education helping to lead the White House initiative “Promise Neighborhoods.” Mr. Harris, who is bi-lingual in Spanish, worked with teachers, principals and state educational specialists across the country to identify and share best practices for achieving student academic success.
He conducted annual reviews of school district progress towards meeting established performance goals, improving family engagement, and increasing community involvement. Mr. Harris also served as the Department expert on STEM, IB, performing arts, and other theme based curricula as they relate to a reduction of minority group isolation.
Prior to his federal service, Mr. Harris taught Economics for 5 years at high schools in South Carolina, before returning to his native Virginia to teach Economics and Pre-AP World History at Oakton High School for an additional six years. He also served as Oakton’s Social Studies department technology specialist, as a representative on the school’s technology committee, as well as a coach for both track and football.
Mr. Harris is an Advanced Studies graduate of Robert E. Lee High School in Staunton, Virginia. He received a BA in Secondary Education from Clemson University where he was a two-sport student athlete (football, track). He completed graduate studies in curriculum design for the gifted and talented at Furman University, and holds a Masters in Educational Leadership from George Mason University.
