Today, Mary Ellen Henderson Principal Valerie Hardy unveiled the administrative team for the coming years along with the addition of a new special education leader. The announcement came in a letter to MEHMS staff and families -
Building a team of leaders is essential for every strong organization. As a division and as a school, the growth and development of our employees is a strong value and fostering that talent always yields tremendous outcomes for students, our school, and FCCPS.
Recently, Dr. Dippold stepped into our interim MYP coordinator position. He will serve in this capacity through June 30, 2022. Selecting an applicant that could easily transition into this two-year position amid COVID19 with a comprehensive understanding of our students and community, who demonstrates a commitment to working on equity, social-emotional learning, and closing instructional gaps were significant drivers in our selection as they all connect to our needs and our action plan goals.
An advisory panel consisting of teachers, teacher leaders, support staff, and central office staff supported the interview process and I am pleased to share with you today that we have selected an outstanding educational leader to serve as our interim Assistant Principal at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School.
Please join me in congratulating Mr. Adam White as he moves into our interim Assistant Principal position. Mr. White started his career as a special educator in Pennsylvania supporting students with disabilities in both traditional and non-traditional instructional programs. During his time in FCCPS, he has served as a special education teacher, team leader, curriculum lead, dean of students at Mason & Henderson, and is currently serving as our Special Education Administrator for Henderson and our newly created public day program, Lighthouse. A believer in equity and action, Mr. White serves as a member on the division level equity team, coached football at Mason, and was recognized during the 2018-2019 school year as a finalist for the FCCPS Professional Specialist of the Year. Mr. White is known by students and parents and his proven ability to establish relationships and find creative solutions to complex problems are all skills we look forward to leveraging as he transitions to this new role. Simply stated, Mr. White is the right candidate at the right time to step into this role and we are thrilled. Below is his letter of introduction to the Husky community!
Hello Huskies,
When I began my teaching career twelve years ago, I started with a mission to positively impact the lives of the students I worked with. I wanted to see them grow as learners and as young adults. As I began to gain experience in the classroom and bring my goal to life, I realized the impact a teacher can have not only on the students they work with but their families and the community.
On my journey, I worked with some great administrators that helped me to see my impact and helped to foster my growth as a teacher and a leader in the building. I began to take on new responsibilities and roles and my mission started to evolve. I realized that I wanted to become one of those great administrators that would help to unlock the potential in teachers, by building them and helping them to grow, to foster collaboration, and to keep the kids at the center of our work.
Today I get to announce that I have reached my goal and am excited to begin my work as the new Assistant Principal for Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School! I know we face new challenges with this unprecedented time in education and I want to assure you that I will continue to keep focused on supporting teachers, students, and this community as we continue our work to be #bettertogether!
With Mr. White stepping into the interim Assistant Principal role, this leaves an interim vacancy for our Special Education Administrator position.
This teacher leadership position works as a member of our administrative leadership team and requires a depth of knowledge in special education policies & procedures, instructional practices, and an ability to support the comprehensive needs of our students and families. We are fortunate that Ms. Brittney Allen-Shaw has agreed to step into this teacher leadership position at Henderson. Ms. Allen-Shaw has served as a special education teacher at Henderson for the past 5 years and is currently a co-team leader of the special education department. Prior to joining us at Henderson, Ms. Allen-Shaw served as special education teacher at an IB High School in Newport News, Virginia, has served as a sponsor for Project Inclusion with the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, and is currently enrolled at the University of Virginia working towards a second master’s degree in educational leadership and supervision.
As the final addition to our team, please join me in welcoming Darius Coulibaly to Mary Ellen Henderson. Darius will be joining us as the lead teacher for the FCCPS Public Day program “Lighthouse”. 
This 6-12 grade instructional program offers students with disabilities instructional services in a wrap-around therapeutic setting. Some of you may know Darius as he currently serves as a special education teacher at Thomas Jefferson. Darius has over 15 years of service to students with disabilities at the elementary and high school levels. Additionally, he has degrees in economics, international education, school administration, and supervision and is fluent in English, French, German, Bambara, and Bete.
Mr. Carey, Mr. White, Ms. Allen-Shaw, and I along with the continued leadership from Dr. Dippold and support from Dr. Coulibaly stand ready to embrace the work ahead and more importantly, are excited to work with your students in the upcoming school year. As the summer unfolds, and plans solidify around what next year will bring, our team will be in touch. Until then, rest, recharge, read, and stay safe!
With tremendous respect,
Valerie K. Hardy
Principal