SJC welcomes a new assistant principal
This fall, SJC welcomes a new assistant principal, Dr. Lois Warner, to its staff. Born and raised in southeastern Virginia, Dr. Warner lived there for 40 years before deciding to teach in Jordan for six years and in Japan for another six years. Dr. Warner earned her bachelor’s degree from James Madison University and received her master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Virginia. She enjoys working in a school environment and hopes to improve St. John’s with her expertise.
Dr.. Warner’s love for teaching and working in schools originated from her job as a teacher abroad. She chose to work overseas because “when you live there, you actually interact with [the locals] and you really get to know the culture and…live in it.”Dr. Warner was inspired by her love of reading to teach English there for twelve years. Through this experience, she realized that she enjoyed working in schools and wanted to continue in that field. Dr. Warner remarked that “the day is never boring” when working in a school.
Out of the many schools in the DMV area, Dr. Warner chose to work with St. John’s because she enjoys “the mission that [St. John’s has] and the approach to learning.” In particular, she likes that SJC helps its students to develop good character as well as the strong academic curriculum that students get to experience. Dr. Warner also believes that the people at St. John’s are very engaged and are always trying to dig deeper. So far, her favorite part about St. John’s has been the welcoming and friendly community.
This year, Dr. Warner hopes to reestablish a sense of community among SJC faculty and students, stating that this is the “real emphasis of the year.” By scheduling many different events as well as by returning to old pre-COVID traditions, Dr. Warner hopes to accomplish this task. She is also trying to spend time with many of the new teachers in order to help them understand what St. John’s is really about.
On a daily basis, Dr. Warner’s job as an assistant principal involves making sure that the academics are taken care of, making sure that teachers are following the academic plans that are set in place, and that all of the teachers understand what they need to do. As for the students, she makes sure that they come to school ready to learn. This means that she helps with physical accommodations (injuries, for example) as well as assists students with developing skills that they may need to be academically successful. Dr. Warner also acts as a liaison between teachers and the nurse when students are quarantined for COVID.
