By Michael Natelli ‘14

For the first six weeks of 2014, Principal Intern James Allrich is serving as Acting Principal of Sherwood High School. The Principal Internship is a program that is conducted by MCPS to help give principal candidates hands-on job experience. The top candidates from the internship program are then considered when principal job openings become available in the county. When the six weeks of his practicum are finished in mid-February, Allrich will return to his position as Principal Intern at Sherwood.

Allrich, age 40, got his start in education as a high school math teacher in Bloomfield, New Jersey. After relocating to this area, he continued to teach math at Springbrook High School before becoming the math resource teacher and ultimately an Assistant School Administrator. He then left for White Oak Middle School, where he became an assistant principal, and is now looking to take the next step in school administration. The Warrior recently spoke with Allrich:

What were the reasons why you decided to become a school administrator?

I started as a teacher in New Jersey, and I still think teaching is one of my true passions. I really enjoyed teaching and still do to this day. As a classroom teacher, I saw the impact I made on 30 kids in a class, 150 students in a day … Then when I moved to Montgomery County and became a math resource teacher, I saw the impact I made on students through the math department. That’s when I realized I could do more, and wanted to move into administration where I could really impact students and the school’s instructional program. So that’s what brought me to this place.

In general, describe your job during these six weeks as principal intern? How does it differ from the job of an everyday principal?

The overall objective of the six-week practicum is to give me a sense and feel of being a principal, so although it is very similar in terms of the day-to-day principal’s job, there’s some pieces I don’t deal with. One of those pieces include creating school structures, for example – over the summer, we sat down with the ILT [Instructional Leadership Team] and decided that this year, these were the activities that we were going to do, at that time we put structures in place – whereas during these six weeks, I am maintaining those structures. I am very thankful that I was part of that conversation during the summer because I understand why these structures exist. So the 6-week practicum is different, but in terms of the day-to-day work with students, with parents, with teachers, with the community, being in classrooms, and interacting in the hallway, that part of the principal’s job is the same.

How would you describe your philosophy as an educator? What is your approach as a school administrator?

I believe my core values drive my educational philosophy and my work as a school administrator. One of them is respect; I believe in respecting all people and making sure that we value people’s differences. One way I do this is by being a good listener. This is a quality that I value and that is very, very important to me when I’m with students, parents, and staff.

Another one of my core values is excellence; making sure I am doing the best I can for students, staff and the families that I serve here at Sherwood. I also encourage people to be their best. This can be seen in the work that I do with students, making sure that I am giving them all the opportunities to do their best. In some cases this means giving students multiple opportunities to try, to get back up and to persevere.

Another core value is making sure that I lead by example. As a principal, people are looking to me, and they are following the work that I am doing. So it’s important that I set the example in terms of work ethic, in terms of the way I treat students, the way I treat staff, and the way I deal with issues that arise. It’s these three areas: respect, excellence, and leading by example that are the foundation of my educational philosophy.

What tips or advice did Mr. Gregory give you before the holiday break?

First of all, I was very excited that Mr. Gregory gave me the opportunity to move into his office two weeks prior to the practicum. This allowed people to get comfortable and see me in the role of principal. It was helpful that he was still here, that I could ask questions and depend on him. One tip Mr. Gregory gave me was to listen … A quote that illustrates his advice is from Stephen Covey, “Measure twice but cut once,” so Mr. Gregory told me that before making a decision, make sure to consider all possibilities, ask lots of questions, look at it again and then make a decision. That is an enormous piece of advice that has served me extremely well during the practicum.

What are your impressions so far of Sherwood’s teaching staff and student body? What is similar or different to other schools where you have worked either as a teacher or administrator?

I’ve just been extremely impressed with the students and staff here. I’ll say that the job is a little bit different here in that I don’t deal with a lot of discipline, so that allows me time to be in classrooms, to be in the hallway, to assist students, to help parents and to work with staff. I think that’s credit to a great staff, a great student body and great structures that Mr. Gregory has put in place.