JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
Although reporting to the Principal’s Office might be viewed negatively, it has a whole new meeting for Col. Erin Cluff, 633d Mission Support Group commander. The York County School Division hosted Cluff during their annual Principal for a Day program at Tabb Middle School Jan. 28.
As the principal for a day, Cluff interacted with students, teachers and administrators through classroom visits and meetings. Cluff made the morning and afternoon announcements, handled afternoon bus duty, and even helped with monitoring the sixth grade lunch period.
According to Ms. Heather Young, Tabb Middle School Principal, the Principal for the Day experience is designed to provide local elected officials, business and military leaders a better understanding of York County’s strongest asset: their public education system.
As the JBLE-Langley Military School Liaison officer, Cluff stays closely involved with school districts surrounding JBLE, to include the York County School Division, Hampton City Schools and Newport News Schools.
“Spending time in our community and building relationships is one of the most important aspects of my job,” said Cluff. “More importantly, spending a day in the school district which serves a large portion of our base population is invaluable.”
After a full day in the life of a middle school principal, Cluff, along with previous guest principals, joined York County school principals, the division superintendent and division leadership teams, to share their experiences and discuss ways that business leaders, community members, and school leaders can work together to effectively support student success.
“It’s important for us to be good neighbors,” said Cluff. “Any opportunity to gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities outside the gate helps us do that.”