Last Wednesday, December 6, marked West Po Principal Mrs. Jessica Statz’s 10th day in her position. Although she originally hails from New Jersey, Statz is well-versed in the Alexandria community.
“I came to the county in ‘99/2000 and I was a teacher at Lewis High School. Then in 2007/2008, I went to become an assistant principal at Langley High School,” Statz said. “I was there for 8 years and then I came to West Potomac as an assistant principal. I was here for 4 years, then I left for almost 4 years to Hayfield to try to get some more diverse experiences. And now I’m back as the principal here.”
Not only does she have a ton of experience in the county, but she’s also very proud of her family’s roots in the area. She noted how her husband, who she met during their time at UNC Charlotte, graduated from a Fairfax County high school.
Ms. Statz’s return to West Po is also a full-circle moment for her. She jokingly mentioned a familiar rivalry she had for the principal role.
“When I initially left, I left in order to gain more experience. Don’t take this as a dig, but I applied for the principal job [shortly before] Dr. Millard got it.”
So I applied and I didn’t get it. But perseverance came through because I was able to apply again and then I got the principal position.”
Having that prior experience at West Po has made Mrs. Statz’s week-and-a-half in office so far a much smoother adjustment. She mentioned how in her time here, she recognized a lot of “familiar faces” who were excited to welcome her back to the school community. Among those were Mr. McMahon, who was not only an administrator when Mrs. Statz used to work here, but is also from Jersey.
While she can’t claim favorites, Mrs. Statz will always reserve a special place for the Springbank Building, as it’s where her office was located back when she was the assistant principal. She also mentions having spent a lot of time in Gunston, and admiring it for fitting so many students.
Finally Ms. Statz teased big plans she has for the school. Her “official introduction” will be held tomorrow, December 12, during an after-school PTSA meeting. However, she hopes to meet as many people as possible beyond just that one event.
“I’m not gonna remember every name, but I want to try to meet as many students and parents and guardians and community members as I can because it takes more than one kind of person to run the school,right? We need buy-in from everybody. So I want to try to meet as many people as I can.”
