Schools
Q & A: Churchill High School Principal Dr. Joan Benz
Dr. Benz embraces the challenge of transitioning ninth-graders to high school life.
As another school year is upon us, Patch sat down with Dr. Joan Benz, principal of to find out what she did on her summer vacation and her outlook for the 2011-12 school year.
Potomac Patch: Is being a high school principal a year-round job, or are you able to take time off during the summer to travel, or pursue leisure activities?
Dr. Joan Benz: Being a senior high principal absolutely requires year-round planning. Between the end of one school year and the beginning of the next, I always take a week to travel to New England to be with family and friends.
Patch: What is the most challenging thing about the start of a new school year?
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Benz: One of the most challenging annual events is assisting ninth-graders to transition into high school life. We minimize their anxieties and, hopefully, that of their parents. Annually, I have a ninth-grade parent night on the second day of school where we discuss any concerns that the students have relayed to their parents or that parents have observed within the first two days of school.
Patch: How do you see the county budget cuts affecting Churchill?
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Benz: At Churchill, we provide excellence in education in spite of budget restraints. We attract staff members of the highest caliber, and their classroom instruction is exceptional. What happens between teachers and students in classrooms is the key to educational successes.
Patch: What single event are you most looking forward to during the 2011-12 school year?
Benz: Graduation is the epitome of Churchill's year. We are proud of the academic accomplishments, the social maturity and the phenomenal graduation and college acceptance rates of our Churchill seniors. These attributes are all celebrated during our graduation activities.
Patch: Please share one new thing about your school for this year—a new hire, new program or new piece of equipment.
Benz: Our quest is constantly to enhance communication among our students, staff, parents and the community. Our Character Education Committee, a PTSA sub-committee, has worked tirelessly to raise money to fund a digital sign which is to be placed at the corner of Tuckerman Lane and Gainsborough Road. We are nearing our goal and we THINK that this is the year when Churchill, too, will purchase a digital sign. All contributions will be gratefully accepted.
