Back in the day, we promoted “The Falls Church Way.” Through joyful and challenging experiences, we learned that “process is everything.” If there was a simple “majority of one,” we listened and sought to dignify the voice.

Whatever we may call it, leaders throughout the generations since the founding of Falls Church in 1948 have helped define the culture of the Little City, always with an eye for its unique value within the Washington metro area, across Virginia, nationwide, and around the world.  Along with the superintendents and their school boards who have led the district throughout its storied history, legions of others have given their energy, emotion, and time to the formation, cultivation, and enhancement of this place in which we all share pride.

I’m confident that you’ll enjoy this collection of stories, memories, and testimonials assembled by Superintendent Peter Noonan.

It captures the valuable voices of students, educators, community members, and stakeholders of many stripes who have continued to advance and strengthen the Falls Church culture. You’re going to enjoy it, too, because it affirms the school district’s effectiveness over and over. With Dr.  Noonan’s retirement in June 2025 as a seasoned educator and impactful school superintendent, he can point to a plethora of “secret sauce” ingredients that have sustained and advanced the effectiveness of Falls Church Public Schools, including:

• a laser-like district-wide focus on student achievement
• innovative curriculum and instruction planning approaches
• utilization of evidence for planning, organizational learning, and accountability
• a district-wide sense of efficacy
• building and maintaining communications systems second to none
• a premium placed on instructional leadership
• non-negotiable, targeted interventions where there is an instructional need demonstrated in schools and for individual students
• a professional development program that forms the infrastructure for the district’s excellence
• partnerships with the city and state governments which are constantly nurtured; the strength of the relationship is a badge of honor for all of the parties
• well-deserved and continuous recognition of the district’s effectiveness nationally and internationally
• and, when there’s a need to ensure greater alignment of each of these essential needs to sustain a high-performing district, the Falls Church schools’ embrace of a continuous improvement philosophy continues to move the needle.

The value of many of these ingredients is amplified through the entries in “The Secret Sauce.”

I believe you’ll enjoy this uplifting read because it is a fitting tribute to the Falls Church community and, indeed, a gift from Dr. Noonan to all of us who have been invested in this success story. Behind this gift will be the message that I know he would want to convey—his legacy is your legacy.

Peter’s style, personality, authentic caring and kindness, and gentle, inspiring influence are felt throughout this publication.  Peter has deliberately selected each contributor to “The Secret Sauce” to capture the spirit that defines Falls Church Public Schools.  Just as he has done throughout his career and during his eight years at the helm of this award-winning district, Peter keeps the spotlight on those who continue to strengthen and add to the effectiveness of the district.

I am truly honored to be asked by my dear friend Peter to offer this Foreword. If you count Peter Noonan as a friend or colleague, as I do, you’ll agree that his leadership model is one we should all seek to emulate, particularly as we seek to be the best and kindest humans we can be.

About Dr. Stewart D. Roberson: Stewart served for 35 years as a K-12 practitioner, notably serving as superintendent of Falls Church schools in the early 1990s.  From Falls Church, he and his family moved to the Richmond area, where he served as superintendent of Hanover County schools until his retirement in 2011.  He has served for the last fourteen years as the chair/president/CEO of Moseley Architects, one of the nation’s largest architectural/engineering firms.

Stewart has been a professor of practice since 2000 at the University of Virginia, his alma mater. During that time, he has been the chair of the UVA K12 Advisory Council, a collective of 125 superintendents in Virginia.  He has served as a mentor and executive coach to dozens of school and community leaders across the US and around the world.

He has also served as a chair and board member of numerous private, public, and non-profit boards and foundations, including several years as a member of the Board of Governors of International Baccalaureate. Stewart has served on the Virginia Board of Education, was president of the Urban Superintendents Association of America, and was named Virginia’s Superintendent of the Year. Virginia Business named Stewart one of the most influential business and community leaders in the Commonwealth.

Stewart and his wife, Leslie, professor emeritus at Randolph-Macon College, are the proud parents of two children educated in their early years in Falls Church and each of whom pursued IB studies in their high school years in Hanover. They have enjoyed years of travel together, including to all seven continents. And they value greatly their time with their two grandchildren, especially as the family retreats to their Bald Head Island, NC home.