Interim Principal Named for George Mason High School

POSTED: 4:21 p.m. EDT, June 11, 2008
By: FCCPS Communications

Staff members cheered when they learned the interim principal at George Mason High School for the 2008-2009 school year will be Mary McDowell.

The veteran educator has served as one of the school’s assistant principals for the past three years. For seven years prior to that, she taught biology and served as the school’s science department leader and curriculum instruction and resource teacher (CIRT). The school board approved McDowell’s appointment as interim principal during last night’s regular meeting at city hall.

“Ms. McDowell is an experienced educator and administrator who already knows the FCCPS system, the people and the culture,” Superintendent Lois Berlin said. “She already has the established relationships needed to ensure a smooth transition into the next chapter of Geroge Mason history, and I’m confident she will ably lead the school in the coming year”

McDowell’s appointment comes on the heels of Principal Bob Snee’s announcement last month that he will retire on June 30th. In a brief meeting with the school’s faculty, McDowell recognized Snee’s accomplishments during his tenure over the past 16 years.

“I can never fill Bob’s shoes; I have my own shoes to walk in,” McDowell said.

McDowell holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Clemson University in Clemson, S.C. She earned her masters degree in secondary science education from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and she holds a leadership certificate from the University of Virginia.

Prior to her tenure with the Falls Church City Public Schools, McDowell served as a classroom teacher at Pine Forest High School and Pine Forest Junior High School in Fayetteville, N.C. Her term as George Mason High School Interim Principal begins July 1st.

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