Recently Deer Park Elementary welcomed a new principal into its ranks. Although not new to the school herself, Carol Larsen is an eager and focused individual whose six years with Deer Park have prepared her for what she hopes will help the school "keep working to make it a better place."
Replacing former Principal Doug Brooks, she considers him “Just wonderful, very child-centered and a great sense of humor. He has a lot of strength and is a master of finances,” she adds with a chuckle.
A PROUD NATIVE of the Centreville area, now living in the Sully Station community, Larsen graduated from Chantilly High School in 1988 before continuing her education at James Madison University. There, she studied Early Childhood Development and Music Education before graduating in 1992 and embarking on her teaching career as an Instructional Assistant at Poplar Tree Elementary, where Doug Brooks was an Assistant Principal.
Although her times at James Madison weren't that long ago, much has changed for young teachers in the educational system. Not blind to these problems, Larsen recognizes the rising issues with our local schools that weren't as prevalent 15 years ago. Beforehand, new teachers just had to know one or two languages (English, Spanish, French etc.) but now there are parents and students who speak dialects from dozens of countries.
This isn't the only issue though; the No Child Left Behind act, although philosophically a good idea, restricts the schooling system in several areas. Originally meant to increase the standards of learning, at a school where the student population is 20 percent special needs, it's almost a wall that the staff must try to climb just to keep up with government medians. Larsen seems confident in her and her staff's abilities to continue to provide strong support to their students; working with her fellow faculty is one of her favorite parts of holding her job.
She believes that the pre-elementary years are some of the most important in a child's life these days. With rising standards and expectations in the school system, there is more pressure than ever on students' performances, and the basic and developmental skills they acquire beforehand can effect them a great deal.
AS A NEW MOTHER, she is well aware of the needs to "focus on the child," and not the statistics or names on sheets of attendance paper or report cards.
Cindy Jeter, from the Brookfield area of Chantilly, has worked with Larsen at Deer Park for over six years, and describes her as a "highly organized" individual who is "easy to get along with; everyone here likes her."
Laura Goodman, from Sequoia Farms in Centreville, is among the teaching staff at Deer Park, and says Larsen is "an excellent administrator, thorough and organized, very kid-oriented as well as a strong supporter of her teaching staff."
To solidify her support of her staff, Donna Ford, a counselor at Deer Park for 14 years and a co-worker of Larsen for six years who is also from the Sequoia Farms community, describes her as "wonderful, dependable, calm and consistent and always putting the children first."