Brown is 2008 Vice Principal of the Year

Deborah Brown, vice principal at Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School, was selected as the 2008 Charles County Public Schools Vice Principal of the Year.

"I am humbled to receive this award. Children and public education are my passion. I am truly honored to be nominated by my school staff for this award and am proud to be a part of a system that promotes excellence," Brown said.

She was nominated for the award by Marvin Jones, Brown's principal, for possessing quality leadership skills, for demonstrating energy, compassion and enthusiasm in her job and for always ensuring that student needs come first.

"Mrs. Brown possesses extremely high quality professional skills and human relation skills that are rare and extraordinarily effective. She embodies and personifies, in the truest and most-intended sense of the word, the title of vice principal," Jones wrote in a nomination letter.

Fellow staff members at Brown, including the pre-kindergarten and first-grade teams, wrote letters of recommendation for Brown's nomination that spoke of her compassion for children. "Brown faces the challenges of the day with confidence, understanding and a genuine love for children. She strives daily to accommodate the needs of the students, staff and parents in a fair and professional manner," Mary Beth Ritchie, Conchita Stewart, Angela Wenzinger and Ginger Mason, the pre-kindergarten team at Brown, wrote in a nomination letter.

In a supporting letter, Brown parent Marilyn Boswell said that Brown promotes a positive and safe learning environment for students. "She always makes time to hear every concern or problem you may have and makes every effort to correct the problem in the fastest and best way possible," Boswell wrote.

Brown began her career with Charles County Public Schools in 1977 as a teacher at Arthur Middleton Elementary School, where she served as team leader from 1996 to 2000. She transferred to Indian Head Elementary School in 2000, where she served as vice principal for six years. She was named vice principal at Brown in 2006. She has a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a master's degree in education from the University of Maryland, College Park. Brown also received an outstanding supervising and cooperating teacher award in 1997 and recently served as president of the Alpha Eta Chapter, Delta Kappa Gamma, Society of Women Educators. Brown was honored by the Board of Education on June 10. The Board honors one outstanding vice principal each year.