Antoinette McDonald just began her new job as assistant principal at Victory Elementary School in Bristow as of Nov. 18. She has an infectious laugh and an optimistic perspective on life.
“The adversities that I’ve gone through have prepared me for a Victory,” said the new A.P.
McDonald, who grew up in a disadvantaged neighborhood in the inner city of Pittsburgh, rose to the position of A.P. through persistence and a belief in what she was capable of accomplishing.
“My basic philosophy is to never allow your circumstances to determine your destiny and to always look inward,” said McDonald, quoting the mantra told to her by her mentor as a child.
Despite not having a privileged background, McDonald always set high expectations for herself and knew she wanted something more from life.
“I felt of a chosen generation,” said McDonalds, who used that belief to overcome obstacles in her life.
Today she is happy to be assistant principal at Victory, and is grateful for her wonderful family: her husband, Sean McDonald Sr., who is also an administrator at Saunders Middle School in Prince William County, and their two children.
When McDonald became an elementary school teacher, she expected she would, “retire in the classroom.” However along the way another mentor, Principal Lillie Jessie of Vaughan Elementary, told McDonald that she had leadership capabilities behind a, “quiet demeanor.” It was then that McDonald began to seriously consider becoming an administrator
Over the next few years, McDonald began to look at the bigger picture of education and imagined playing a role in making those key decisions. Then she decided to make it happen.
Most recently McDonald was an administrative intern at Belmont Elementary, a Title I school in Woodbridge along the Route One corridor. At Belmont she dealt with issues of poverty and a lack of parental support due to busy work schedules.
She said she feels her experience dealing with difficult situations, her ability to mitigate, prioritize and see things in their proper context, will help her at Victory.
She already feels that Victory Elementary is an inclusive community, and appreciates that high level of parental involvement.
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