By Brian Trompeter
The wide smile on Amy Briggs’ face in her 1979 photo as a 5-year-old kindergartner at Spring Hill School in McLean shows her unbridled enthusiasm for being a student there.
Briggs, who has spent almost her entire educational career at the school, in July became its new principal.
“I’ve really always felt like I belong here, in every aspect – as a student, as a substitute, as a student teacher, as a teacher,” she said. “I just always felt like this was my second home and I trusted the people . . . The people here have seen me through almost my entire life.”
Spring Hill, which will start off the new school year with close to 900 students, will hold a block party in September, a fall festival parade in October, a book fair, spring fun fair, cultural-heritage night and a career day in which students’ parents give presentations.
“It’s a great place to be because there are so many fun, dynamic things happening,” Briggs said in an interview with the GazetteLeader.
The school this fall also will introduce its preschool autism program.
“Every child is different, so everyone has different degrees of need,” she said of students in the initiative. “We’ll meet them where they are. It’s a specific program for people who know how to work with children on the spectrum and can really tailor to their needs.”
Briggs holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Mary Washington University, a master’s in elementary education from Marymount University and an education-leadership graduate certificate from George Mason University.
She grew up in McLean a short distance from the school and began attending it in kindergarten.
“Shortly thereafter, I knew that I wanted to be like my teachers and become a teacher – and actually only teach at Spring Hill,” she said.
Briggs substituted for one of her former teachers at Spring Hill while getting her master’s degree and later student-taught there. She was offered a position at Newington Forest Elementary School and accepted it after a friend told her the job would give her a foothold in the school system.
“It was a great experience because I learned my technology skills there,” she said.
After finishing out the school year there, she returned to Spring Hill in fall 1999 and taught fifth grade for four years. She then spent 13 years as the school’s technology specialist. During this period, Briggs moved to Reston and her children attended Spring Hill.
“It was wonderful because I could bring them to work with me and then they’d go to my parents’ house,” she said.
Briggs then served as the school’s assistant principal. In that role, she helped implement Kid Talk protocols to help teachers support students who had academic or behavioral issues. She also led a screening process that resulted in more students taking advanced academics classes.
In addition, Briggs has worked with the school’s PTO to provide parent seminars, co-sponsor school-wide events and buy new furniture for classrooms.
Briggs wants all students attending Spring Hill to have the same sense of belonging that she feels. Students at the school come from more than 40 countries and speak 47 languages, she said.
Spring Hill is not a foreign-language-immersion school, but students in kindergarten through sixth grade will have classes in Chinese once or twice per week, depending on grade level, she said.
Briggs hopes to offer younger students more opportunities for advanced-academics classes.
“In order to educate our children to be global citizens and innovative thinkers, they need to start thinking more critically,” she said. “We don’t just teach to the test. We’re really teaching problem solving, thinking globally, solving problems together and working collaboratively.”
The late Roger Vanderhye, who led Spring Hill for 12 years, was the most influential principal for whom she ever worked, Briggs said. Vanderhye, who died in 2017 at age 60 while serving as principal of Walt Whitman Middle School, “was the one who really developed me as a leader,” she said.
Since Vanderhye, Spring Hill Elementary has had six principals, Briggs said. His lengthy tenure set a high standard, which Briggs hopes to emulate.
“He believed in all of us – and that’s what I’m bringing back,” she said. “I feel that with all of COVID and the amount of transitions we’ve had, that’s what we need. Our teachers need to feel safe, trusted and supported.”
Spring Hill teacher Illy Perotti said Briggs is vested in the school and its community, staff and students.
“We are often asked what is your ‘why’ in our jobs,” she said. “Amy’s ‘why’ is her belief that she is invested with her whole heart in our school to make a difference and support us in her new journey as our leader. She is supportive, positive and cares.”
Educators must be passionate about their work because teaching isn’t merely a job, but a calling, said assistant principal Boutia Pourhashemi.
“Amy Briggs takes this a step further as she considers Spring Hill Elementary School to be her home away from home,” Pourhashemi said. “Now as principal, she is sharing this dedication in a way that is more than inspiring to us all.”
Briggs is compassionate and approachable as a leader and wants the best for her staff and students, said Spring Hill resource teacher Jenny Strandlund.
“We’re excited for the year ahead under her warm leadership and enthusiasm for Spring Hill,” she said.
