About Dr. Peter Noonan: After an extensive, nationwide search, the Falls Church City School Board selected Dr. Peter Noonan as the ninth Superintendent of Falls Church City Public Schools in May 2017. Dr. Noonan began his career as a special education teacher in New Mexico, where he was named Teacher of the Year in 1993. After working for 11 years in the Fairfax County Public Schools division, he served as Superintendent for Fairfax City Public Schools. He was also the assistant principal at Langley High School, principal at Lanier Middle School and Centreville High School, and assistant superintendent for Cluster VII schools. And, he was the assistant superintendent for the Instructional Services Department, overseeing academic programs for the system’s 180,000 students. Dr. Noonan holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of New Mexico, and completed studies to obtain the education specialist designation in educational administration. Dr. Noonan has a doctorate in education from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). Learn more about Dr. Noonan and the Fall Church Public Schools: fccps.org

Scroll down for an essay by Dr. Noonan, “The Secret Sauce”

“Never underestimate your ability to make someone else’s life better, even if you never know it.” — Greg  Louganis

When I arrived in 2017 to serve Falls Church City Public Schools (FCCPS) as the 9th Superintendent in the division’s history, I knew something about this place was different than anywhere else I had ever worked. This is my 33rd year in public education (8th year as Superintendent in FCCPS) which has afforded me the opportunity to teach, lead, learn, and travel the globe. I’ve been in over 1000 schools in my career and worked with, or for, nearly 400,000 students. In my journey through public service I have found one truth to be universal: It is the people in any organization that make a place great. FCCPS is no different and when asked to consider what the “secret sauce” is that leads to the extraordinary outcomes for kids, it is immediately evident that it is the people and the relational culture that exists that makes us great.

A relational culture is nuanced and sometimes it’s the small things that make a big difference. This is not a new concept but it is one worth repeating and bringing focus to in the workplace. In The Leadership Challenge, by Kouzes and Posner, they refer to gestures made by others as “encouraging the heart.” Encouraging the heart is one of five (5) leadership practices that have been validated over the past decades as those that impact the culture and performance of an organization…including schools. The other four are “challenging the process,” encouraging others to act,” “inspiring a shared vision,” and “modeling the way.” 

The following vignettes, while simple, are the building blocks that when taken in sum total make FCCPS special. 

Rory

At the end of last year, one of our longtime teachers and leaders decided to make a change and move to another division in Virginia. FCCPS is a small division and consequently, one that can sometimes limit the opportunities for people to grow as there are limited numbers of positions that carry administrative roles. This leader, Rory, was a person who had grown “through the ranks” as an assistant principal and curriculum leader at our middle and high school. Through our years together we built a strong working relationship. I was fortunate to be the leader who promoted him to his first assistant principal (AP) position and also supported and coached him in his decision to step down from the AP role and lead from a different place that was in his “wheelhouse”…a position that would bring him great joy as the International Baccalaureate Coordinator for the Middle Years Program. The circumstances surrounding his move were also important to the decision-making process for this leader and because of the relationship we enjoyed, I knew he was becoming a dad for the first time.

When Rory left FCCPS, we tried diligently to find time to engage in an exit interview in an effort for both of us to improve on behalf of FCCPS, but given the timing of his departure, we could never make it happen. However, on the day he left, Rory did something that encouraged my heart in a way he is unlikely to know. He wrote a handwritten card and left it on my desk! It is an understatement to say that we are living in times where a handwritten note is a dying art. With email, text, Snapchat, Instagram, etc…at our fingertips, we can quickly communicate important information in the least personal way possible. Heck, I even got a happy birthday text from one of my own kids once…c’mon…pick up the phone at least – but I digress. The time taken to write out a card and leave it on my desk was disproportionately impactful relative to the impact it had on me for the months to come. Rory has no idea the power and impact the note had and, as Greg  Louganis says, “Never underestimate your ability to make someone else’s life better – even if you never know it.” He made my life better and I am not certain he knows it, which, in my opinion, is a shortcoming on my end of the relationship.

The IB

As educators, we work every day to have that impact. Further, in almost every case, when a student walks across the stage at graduation, we celebrate the end of one journey and the start of another…and we don’t hear from the graduates of that class again. But, in Falls Church, that is different.

Each year, we have an opportunity to welcome back our students who completed and earned the International Baccalaureate Programme diploma to receive their diplomas since their final IB exams from the spring prior aren’t adjudicated in time for graduation. We do this during a holiday break for most of the colleges, and a great majority of the students return to collect their diplomas and see friends and teachers. It is a great site. 

At the same time, we ask a group of students to join in on a panel discussion about their experiences as students in college. To a student, we hear that the IB program made their freshman year a breeze because their Freshman year in college is writing intensive, and the IB is heavily focused on writing. There are a host of questions we ask to get at information that will help the students in the auditorium decide on going forward with the IB diploma program or seeking another path. Among the questions we ask is, “Who was your most influential teacher and why?” When this question is asked, the students’ eyes light up; they are anxious to say who it is, and in the end, this question elicits magic. While that is exciting, the amazing part is the range of those identified as most influential. Each year, we have had answers such as “my kindergarten teacher,” “my coach,” “my bus driver,” the Director of Food Services,” and more. A couple of years ago, the baseball team nominated one of our bus drivers as the Support Employee of the Year – our kids see everyone. When pressed about why they’ve named the person they have, the answer is always the same… they were kind to me, they helped me, we got along well, they came to my events to see me, or we just had a great relationship, and they made me feel important. 

This exercise each year is a heart filler indeed! But the real magic is when the adult hears their name emerge from one of the returning students. The pride, excitement, and emotion of that moment is palpable.

Kindness

My first day on the job as the Superintendent of Schools in FCCPS, I was tasked (among other things) with restarting a stalled construction project at Mount Daniel Elementary School. The plans were done to do some serious demolition and add on more classrooms, a gym, and give a “facelift” to the rest of the older sections of the building. However, there were conflicts between the contractor, the permitting offices, the schools, and the general government. The situation was untenable because the “phasing” of the project had begun which meant that the entire parking lot at MDES had been converted into a village of portable classrooms which meant that no staff could park onsite. The solution was that all staff would be shuttled from Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School throughout the morning and the afternoon. To say that this was less than ideal is an understatement! Staff and faculty at MDES were unhappy with their shuttling circumstances, but like the professionals they are, they adjusted.

I decided that my first stop, on my first day, would be at MEHMS to meet the shuttle and ride with the staff to Mount Daniel. I thought…if they are living it I should too. Now, I’ve been a school administrator for a long time and learned early that one does not show up empty-handed if your intention is to make a good impression. So, I went to Costco and bought the biggest box of Kind Bars I could find. As the staff and faculty got onto the shuttle, I introduced myself and gave each person a kind bar as a gesture of appreciation and also to send a message to everyone who got on the bus that not only was I a kind person, but I also expected this above all else from FCCPS employees.

I tell this bit of the story not to somehow glorify myself or my leadership – it was $50 well spent! Rather, I share the story as a reminder that what is given in kindness often comes back when you least expect it. As I mentioned, I am in my eighth year of my superintendency in FCCPS and there is hardly a month that goes by that someone doesn’t drop off a Kind Bar to me. It’s the small things and simplest gestures that make the difference and matter the most. I am drawn in by kindness and the way it manifests itself in FCCPS. 

“The Secret Sauce”

In the end, I believe that the “secret sauce” in FCCPS is the people, their engagement with each other, the relationships that are built, how we work together to support each other and every student we serve, and in the end make each other’s lives richer and more fulfilled. I was once asked the question: “Can you teach someone how to have a good relationship with their student or another person they work with?” I think the answer is no…kindness, care, compassion, empathy, and strong relationships come from the heart and not the head. However, one can engage in the elements that create the conditions for a positive relationship like writing handwritten notes, letting people know their meaning to you before it is too late, and, when all else fails, feed them – even if it’s a Kind Bar.