Celebrating National Principals Month – Aaron Shin, Principal of Parkland Middle School

October is National Principals Month. During this month we recognize the dedicated leaders who guide our schools and support students, staff and families every day. To celebrate, we did a Q&A with a few principals around the county to learn more about what inspires them and the impact their role can play in the community. Each principal answered the same set of questions, giving us a glimpse into their leadership, their passions and even a few fun facts along the way.

How long have you been with MCPS? 
19 years

How long have you been the principal at Parkland MS? 
6 years

What inspires you each day? 
Each day is a new day and I want to make sure we all give our 100%. I want to make sure that our students come to school and feel safe and are able to be their best inside and outside the classroom. Therefore, anything that I can do to help that happen is my motivation each and every day.

What advice would you give to a first year principal?
I would say that it would be important to take your time to listen and build relationships with students, staff and families. Along with listening, it is important to observe the strengths of the school to know how you can utilize the strengths to maximize student performance.

What’s your top win/biggest accomplishment from this past year? 
I am happy to see how our efforts on focusing on student writing had a positive impact on various aspects of our student academic performance. We saw an increase of our Emergent multilingual learner students meeting proficiency and we doubled the number of students who exited from the English Language Development program.

What job did you want to have when you were a kid? 
I hoped to be a Major League Baseball player, but that dream ended pretty quickly so my attention turned to a more realistic dream of becoming a Social Studies teacher and Varsity Baseball coach.

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What’s an interesting/fun fact that not everyone knows about you? 
I have always enjoyed wearing and collecting sneakers, particularly Air Jordans and Nikes, and I am happy that I get to wear them at various times throughout the school year.

What impact do you think principals have on the greater community? 
I think principals have the privilege of being a central contact within the school community. We are able to have a positive impact on the educational, social-emotional and day-to-day lives of students and families and we are able to provide hope and excitement for the future.