Forest Edge’s New Principal Welcomes Start of School Year

In the days before the starts of the school year, there is lots of activity at .

Teachers are turning empty rooms into classrooms, loading up the bookshelves, arranging desks and study centers.  Nine new classroom teachers are learning their way around the building. The custodial staff has volunteered to do some landscaping to get the outside spruced up.

In the center of it all is new Forest Edge principal Kim Price, who is making sure the teachers have what they need for a successful start.

 “Forest Edge already feels like home. I’ve had a great welcome from the community – very open, warm, supportive,” said Price.

Price comes to Forest Edge from , where she was the assistant principal. She  after a long career with FCPS and 21 years at Forest Edge.

Parents came with questions and suggestions at the PTA's first meet-and-greet, so price knew she had come to an involved community. That is something she’s very excited about.

“School is more than the principal – staff, community, kids, parents, beyond. I am not the school, we are the school," said Price. "I want to be transparent and accessible as possible. Keep me on track. I am always asking ‘Is this good for the kids?’ "

She does not foresee any big changes at Forest Edge.

“Forest Edge did well on the Standards of Learning (SOL) testing and made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), but also made good progress closing the ‘achievement gap.' " she said. "This success was through a collaborative team process. We’ll keep going, doing what we are doing, to continue that success,"

When Price looks back at her school years, she admits she wasn’t a great student, which was a big part of what motivated her to become a teacher. She says all students, regardless of  socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or circumstances have the opportunity  to be successful.”

“I felt there must be a way to motivate kids, even if they don’t like school," she said. "You need to function in society, learn what you need to learn. I try to make education real and applicable to life. I want children to know someone cares about you. You are important. Don’t shut the door on learning, if you are struggling.”