Hunters Woods ES' Cope Named Principal of the Year

Posted by William Callahan  

Hunters Woods Elementary School principal Emily Cope has been named a Fairfax County Principal of the Year by the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers.

Cope just finished her first year at the Reston school, which features a magnet school for the arts and sciences.

For nine years, the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers' Principal of the Year Awards have given FCPS employees the opportunity to rate their superiors through a survey administered between April and May.

“A good principal sets the tone for employee morale and accomplishment,” said FCFT President Steve Greenburg in an email.  “Those who respect their staffs, and encourage their professional voice and autonomy rate most highly. There is little as important as a good principal. They provide the support to staff that then allows them to improve student achievement.”

Principals are evaluated anonymously by their employees on how well they support their staff, whether they build morale, how they handle disciplinary decisions, whether they help build positive relationships with parents and the community, and more.

School Board Member Ryan McElveen said the awards were a great opportunity for FCPS employees to honor their principals.

“It's great to award our educators in as many venues as possible,” he said in an email. “Although we do so at the county level, in a county with as many schools as Fairfax it helps to have groups like FCFT that can reach out to teachers and school staff and directly gauge their input on our principals, and then recognize them accordingly."

2013 Award Recipients