I am pleased to announce that Amos Simms-Smith, current assistant principal at Parklawn Elementary School, is the new principal of Navy Elementary School. Mr. Simms-Smith has over 20 years of experience in education as a teacher, admissions specialist, and assistant principal. His diverse experiences, instructional leadership, and caring disposition make him the ideal candidate to lead Navy Elementary School. 

Mr. Simms-Smith started his career as a Middle School Science and Technology Teacher at Timilty Middle School in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2003, he moved to Virginia and began working at FCPS as a Science Teacher and later as Science Department Chair at Langston Hughes Middle School. 

Mr. Simms-Smith’s first administrative position was as a specialist for the Admissions Office of  Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST). In this role, he was a liaison between prospective students and their parents throughout the admissions process. Mr. Simms-Smith was selected for the newly created position of Outreach Specialist for the Admissions Office of TJHSST, where he planned, created, and implemented outreach strategies to increase interest and awareness of the school at the middle and elementary school levels.

In 2015, Mr. Simms-Smith was promoted to assistant principal at Westbriar Elementary School. He successfully led the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Committee and established model discipline practices based on Responsive Classroom Strategies. Mr. Simms-Smith championed the identification of underrepresented populations in the school for participation in Level II, III, and IV advanced academic programs. Mr. Simms-Smith also served as a mentor for selected 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders in the school. 

In 2022 to expand his leadership experience profile, Mr. Simms-Smith transferred to serve as an assistant principal at Parklawn Elementary School. He created and implemented the Parklawn Student Monitor Program. This initiative ensured 60 additional minutes of planning time for homeroom teachers in pre-K through fifth grade. Mr. Simms-Smith also organized the Parklawn Elementary School Running Club where over 80 - 2nd through 5th graders participated. 

Mr. Simms-Smith has represented FCPS at the University of Virginia Statewide Communities of Practice for Excellence Cohort. In 2013 he received an FCPS Collaborative Team Excellence Award for his work in increasing student academic growth, and in 2020 he was an Outstanding School Administrator nominee.

Mr. Simms-Smith received a dual Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology/Human Biology and Psychology from Temple University. He earned his Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Harvard University and his Certification in Education Administration from the University of Virginia.

Please join me in welcoming Mr. Amos Simms-Smith as the new principal of Navy Elementary School.