2003 Assistant Principal of the Year Congratulations to our best...

Colonel Edmund E. Evans Long Reach HS-Howard County

Colonel Edmund E. Evans, Assistant Principal at Long Reach High School, Howard County and United States Marine Corps Reserve (Retired) was named the 2003 Maryland Assistant Principal of the Year at the November, 2002, MASSP Assistant Principals' Conference at Club Meade. Evans earned his Bachelor of Science degree at Frostburg State University, a Master of Arts degree from California State University Long Beach and a Master of Science from The Johns Hopkins University.    He began his teaching career as a biology teacher and Athletic Director in Howard County at Glenelg High School in 1978. He became an assistant principal at Harpers Choice Middle School in 1986. From 1988 to 1993 he was an assistant principal at Oakland Mills High School and during that time served in Desert Storm. He moved to Mt. Hebron High School for three years before opening Long Reach High School in 1996. He presently also serves as a guest lecturer at Johns Hopkins University. During his time at Long Reach he was deployed to the United States Special Operations Command after the September 11 terrorists' attacks.    To improve the teaching and learning environment at Long Reach Col. Evans has worked closely with the Science Cooperative Program Review that places special emphasis on the instructional program rather than an individual teacher's performance. The two major areas of concern were the teacher/student interactions and the utilization of the 90-minute period. These findings were applied not only to the science department but also to the other disciplines in the school.    Because the school is located in very close proximity to the Long Reach Village Center designated as one of the ten crime "hotspots" in Maryland, the concern for spillover crime was always a concern. Evans conducted a satisfaction survey with parents, students, and faculty regarding safety and suggestions to improve safety and security at Long Reach. The data indicated that there was high concern regarding student behavior and personal safety and the security of personal belongings. All of the suggestions were a part of a feasibility study. All of the items were attained through either the Howard County school system funds or community resources except a video surveillance system. Evans applied for and received a Howard County Local Law Enforcement Block Grant to complete the installation of the surveillance system. The system has been in effect for the past year. Crime related activities have dropped significantly. The system provides a tremendous deterrence due to student awareness that the system is in place.    Given the present need for administrators Evans holds the philosophy that one needs to share lessons from one's own experiences and encourage colleagues to join the administrative ranks. He has been an active administrative counselor to the practicum experience of two educators and hopes to continue the practice in the future. He was a member of the Howard County Inservice Planning Committee and a part of the Hot Topic Series for Educators. He presented in a system forum on Violence Prevention in Schools. After this presentation participants were able to identify several risk factors for school violence, identify several protective strategies to help reduce the risk of school violence, and to be able to rate his or her particular school's risk for school violence.    No doubt his principal, David Bruzga, sums up the 2003 Assistant Principal of the Year best as he states "Many personal qualities come to mind when one thinks of Ed Evans: integrity, leadership, courage, honor, enthusiasm, commitment, dependability, initiative, and perhaps above all, professionalism. During my seventeen years as a principal, I have never had the honor of working with a more loyal, self-disciplined, dedicated role-model for our youth than Edmund Evans."    Mr. Evans was introduced to the State Board of Education at its January meeting and will attend the MASSP Spring Conference in March.