Potomac Middle School principal makes top grade

Benita Stephens, principal of Potomac Middle School, has been named Outstanding Middle School Princi-pal by the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals.

Stephens was selected for the award based on her leadership, creativity and commitment to student aca-demic achievement.

"I feel deeply honored that the work that I have done with the staff, students and parents has been recognized. It really is a team effort. I am tickled pink and humbled by the recognition," Stephens said.

As a result of the award, Stephens becomes eligible for the National Association's award program as the National Association of Secondary School Principals/MetLife 2009 National Middle School Principal of the Year.

The National Middle School Principal of the Year will be selected from the state middle level honorees and will be announced in October. Stephens will receive the state award at the annual Virginia Middle and High School Principals Conference & Exposition in Williamsburg at the end of this month. The state conference is sponsored jointly by the principals' association and the Virginia Department of Education.

"Dr. Stephens was the unanimous choice of the association's principal's award nomi-nating committee. She is being honored for having demonstrated excellence in all areas of the selection criteria," said Randy D. Barrack, executive director of the state secondary principals' associa-tion.

"We are extremely proud that one of our principals has achieved this tremendous recognition. We applaud Benita Stephens' work at the middle school level, including bringing block scheduling to Prince William County middle schools," said Steven L. Walts, Prince William County Schools superintendent. "She is an inspiration to her faculty, motivating them to bring about high student achievement."

Stephens was cited for being a consummate leader with a special knack for promoting team spirit and cooperation in her school community. She has been principal of Potomac Middle School since it opened in September 2006.

Stephens sets high expectations for students and staff and takes the time to acknowledge their successes. She promotes innovation and creativity from her faculty, keeping them motivated and inspired by making professional literature available, recognizing their strengths, and, as one of her faculty members writes, routinely acting as a "critical friend" to teachers and helping them to maintain and improve their instructional focus.

Her nominators said she models the qualities of a leader and a trendsetter. She was the first principal to bring a credit union branch onsite that is operated primarily by students, and she helped create one of the first middle school business courses to support this operation.

Stephens helped design and implement the first K-12 pyramid concert for the musical arts. She was the first to create a schedule of inclusiveness to reduce the number of students assigned to self-contained English as a Second Language and special education classes and to have sheltered courses and teams for these stu-dents.

Stephens earned her undergraduate degree in business administration-international business and a master of education-administration and supervision from Howard University. She received a Doctorate of Education-Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

She holds a Virginia Division Superintendent License and a Postgraduate Professional License, Administration K-12. She was assistant principal at Woodbridge High School and Fred Lynn Middle School before becoming principal of Rippon Middle School in 2001, where she served until her appointment to Potomac Middle School in 2006.

This is the third year that the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals has honored a Prince William County principal. In 2003, Rae Darlington, who is now deputy superintendent, was named Vir-ginia's Outstanding Middle School Principal when she was principal of Graham Park Middle School. In 2008, Carolyn Custard, principal of C.D. Hylton High School, was named Outstanding High School Principal in Virginia. Both were among three finalists for the national award in 2003 and 2008, respectively.

-- Reprinted with permission from Prince William County Schools