New Bristow Run Principal Knows What Students Need

New principal Jessica Parker brings her vast experience as an educator with her to Bristow Run Elementary School.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity, and I’m looking forward to being a Panther and a part of the Bristow Run family,” Park said.

As an assistant principal at Pennington Traditional School for the past seven years, Parker worked with teachers in professional learning communities to plan curricula that was vertically-aligned between the upper and lower grades.

“My perspective in working with K-8 has helped me to understand what students needed to do to be successful,” Parker said. “[We had] a lot of good dialogue and communication, so the transition got to be a lot smoother.”

At Pennington, the teachers and administration also set high standards for their students, which is something Parker expects to continue to do at Bristow Run.

“We had high expectations, but not unrealistically high, and rose to the challenge,” said Parker, who believes her new students will do the same.

However, even before becoming an administrator, she held many positions that provided her with unique insights into the field of education. For instance, Parker worked as a SIGNET teacher, teaching gifted and talented K-6 students all over the county.

“As a  gifted resource specialist, I traveled to different schools everyday,” she said.

Her experience placed her in the unique position to observe how curricula is implemented across the county and see what lessons students really respond to.

However, before Parker ever began her teaching career, she was familiar with Prince William County as her roots extend back to her own childhood.

“I grew up in the county; I lived here all my life,” she said.

Additionally, she was raised in a family of educators.

“My husband is a teacher. My parents were teachers in the county,” she said.

However, she gained a greater perspective on the educational system working with the Department of Education providing educational grants. She also served as an adjunct professor at George Mason University.

After her career-long journey as an educator, she is happy to become the new principal at Bristow Run Elementary.

“It’s a fantastic school, it’s a community school and it is an opportunity to share my knowledge and experience and to grow as an educational leader,” she said.

Parker knows the school is successful because of great teachers, great parental support and a terrific PTO, and so she does not want to change too much about the way the school operates.

“I just want to enhance the programs that already exist; I think it is an outstanding school,” she said.

In its second year, Parker hopes to expand the school’s Global Gateway program which helps introduce students to cultural awareness and appreciation.

Additionally, she wants to support teachers in their professional learning communities in planning rigorous but fun educational experiences for the children.

“We have a lot of good collaboration and teamwork. I know people here have vested interests in the students’ success,” Parker said.

She is confident Bristow Run Elementary will continue to thrive because she is working with professionals.

“We have a very valuable job, not to be taken lightly, making sure that all students achieve their highest potential and making sure we know who they are and figure out what they need to be successful,” she said.