Glasgow Celebrates Principal Appreciation Week
January 29, 2021
We are wrapping up a very important week. From January 24th to the 30th we are celebrating our amazing Glasgow Administration for the 2021 Virginia School Principals Appreciation Week! The staff of the Panther Post and all of our school community would like to give a shout out to our wonderful principal, Katie Madigan; our assistant principals: Shona Person, Steve D’Adamo, Kristy Ritchie, and Steven McFarlane; our acting assistant principal, Dierdre Levin; the Director of Student Services, Joash Chung; also the Dean of Special Education, Heather Stokes; the Dean of Students and IT, Melinda Hedenberg; and the Academic Dean and Instructional Coach, Jeniva Miller. All of these talented, friendly, compassionate adults work diligently everyday to ensure the proficiency and success of the students and staff members at Glasgow. Glasgow students and staff appreciate and thank all of Glasgow Administrations hard work and dedication to this school, and would love to share their thanks with them.
For this occasion, students and teachers sent in their thanks, and what they appreciate about each of the Glasgow Administrators. We had an overflowing amount of appreciation. Here were just a few of their comments:
“Ms. Madigan is one of the best administrators that I have been under. She is kind, understanding, and does everything she can to create a more close knit and welcoming community.” – Ayesha Gulzar, 7th grade student.
“Thank you so much for all the endless effort, time, and support you’ve put in for the staff, students, and families at GMS!” – Gayda Makki, 8th grade student.
“Ms. Madigan is the heart and soul of Glasgow Middle School. It is evident that she cares so much about her students, staff, and entire community. She works hard, and always has our best interests at the center of everything that she does. She is a trend-setter, and is always looking for ways to improve. She trusts her team, and it shows. I don’t know what we would do without her.” – Ms. Grillo, a teacher at Glasgow.
“Ms. Person is a very understanding person and gives great advice when needed.” – Sopia Lizbeth Amaya Diaz, a 6th grade student.
“Before covid, Ms. Person was one of the most supportive people at Glasgow, and she deserves a shoutout.” – Gabby Simmons-Robles, an 8th grade student.
“Ms. Person is AMAZING! She is always available when I need help, she cares deeply for our students, and is constantly pushing our team of teachers to think. We are so lucky to work with her!” – Ms. Boudart, a teacher at Glasgow.
“You are always so bright and positive, nothing short of an amazing person!” – Ruth Mulat, a 6th grade student.
“Mr. D’Adamo is a teacher who is very sincere, he gives honesty in situations and continues to support students at Glasgow.” – Brianna Montevilla, an 8th grade student.
“Mr. D’Adamo is a great support and leader of the math department. He always looks to build others up with his words and actions. His feedback is always to-the-point, gracious, and said in a way that honors others. Especially with online teaching this year, he is flexible and recognizes the deeper needs of students, their families, and teachers. Thanks Mr. D’Adamo for supporting those around you!” – Mr. Benson, a teacher at Glasgow.
“She is very caring and helpful to all the students.” – Jennifer Huynh, an 8th grade student.
“When we were in school Ms.Ritchie was a very nice person, she was always smiling and energetic.” – Ali Hassan, an 8th grade student.
“Ms. Ritchie – thanks for always being so positive and always making us smile even through distance learning! Your energy is contagious. We appreciate you!” – Ms. Conroy, a teacher at Glasgow.
“He is really nice, and very understanding with situations.” – Takoda Calvin, a 7th grade student.
“He is so nice! he helped me for my first 3 weeks at school and he likes to greet me in the hallways and checks up on me every now and again!” – Trevion Adams, an 8th grade student.
“Mr. McFarlane is a world-class principal with a world-class mindset! He always finds time to support his team while making sure the students are getting what they need to thrive. We are all incredibly grateful for his efforts and know that Glasgow is better because of him!” – Mr. Bevenour a teacher at Glasgow.
“Thanks Ms. Levin for everything you have done in the school and everything you have done for us the student’s!” – Ali Mustafa JawanMard, a 6th grade student.
“Thank you for all of your support in our department. You have taken on so many new responsibilities but always find a way to make time for us. We appreciate all of your hard work.” – Mr. Pulver, a teacher at Glasgow.
“She is always positive, helpful, and professional! I appreciate all the hard work she does behind the scenes for our staff and students. Thank you Deirdre for your consistent support!” – Ms. Ruddy, a teacher at Glasgow.
“I’ve noticed Mr.Chung is very dedicated to making sure every student and parent is satisfied and has their questions answered. I’ve been on multiple of the return to school calls on BBCU, and he responded to everyone so kindly and respectfully!” – Korina Horvat, a 7th grade student.
“Though I haven’t seen them around now that we’re in school online, I remember seeing him helping around a lot in the previous school years, and I remember that he is one of the nicest staff members at Glasgow; He’s gentle and also very friendly.” – Jessie Huang, an 8th grade student.
“Mr. Chung has worked so hard this year in his leadership of scheduling classes and working with students and teachers. With Covid-19 continually changing our schedule, Mr. Chung has reworked the master schedule multiple times to best support students and teachers. Furthermore, he did all of this while staying very positive. Thank you Mr. Chung for all your hard work and optimism. It’s an example to others that is definitely noticed!” – Mr. Benson, a teacher at Glasgow.
“You’ve had a positive impact on my 8th grade year, I thank you for that!” – Gayda Makki, an 8th grade student.
“Heather brings great energy to the SPED Department and is a trooper being new to FCPS administrator and taking on all they do in their own special way!” – Ms. Norris, a teacher at Glasgow.
“Thank you Mrs. Stokes for your guidance and keeping us informed. I really appreciate your support and always making yourself available to lend a hand, share ideas and to help us see the possibilities!” – Ms. Fields, a teacher at Glasgow.
Ms. Hedengerg is the Dean of Students and IT at Glasgow. Her major programs and duties are Arts & Design Coach, the Alpha Student Caseload: O – Ri; Jeannette (D’Adamo Support), PBIS Programming + Open Campus, FRED Cards & Staff Recognition, Student Government, Yearbook, Technology Lead & Coach, and FCPSOn – Technology.
“Ms. Hedenberg is a strong, persistent administrator. She is extremely caring, as well as a resilient role model. She won’t stop until everyone is helped, and happy. I am truly grateful for her.” – Diana Prudius, a 7th grade student.
“I always appreciate how involved she is in our current Glasgow events and how she keeps students (like myself) up to date on the latest Glasgow news.” – Katya Pribram, an 8th grade student.
“Ms Hedenberg is a tech goddess! She attentively works with me and our students to ensure access to the curriculum. Her creative ideas help to make learning online fun and engaging for our students. She willingly, and patiently, answers each and every tech question thrown at her. She has made online learning a much more enjoyable experience for both teachers and staff.” – Ms. Serbus, a teacher at Glasgow.
“Keep teaching! Because you do AN AWESOME JOB!!” – Zahra Shahzadi, a 6th grade student.
“Your thoughtfulness and commitment to making us all better teachers is inspiring. Thank you for all of the work that you do and for the number of times that I asked for your advice after work hours!” – Ms. Conroy, a teacher at Glasgow.
“Ms. Miller is always looking to best support the students. She facilitates deep conversation about best practices and will go out of her way to help all students be successful within Glasgow. Ms. Miller is always there as a support to both faculty and staff.” – Ms. Bulger, a teacher at Glasgow.
Glasgow students and staff appreciate all of our administration deeply, for all of their commitment and support towards the Glasgow community. We don’t know what we would do without them, thank you.

Brooke Ehmann - Jones (she/her), an 8th grader at Glasgow MS has been a writer for the Panther Post since the 2020 school year. She has lived in Northern Virginia all of her life and plays on a soccer team, loves playing music on her saxophone and the piano, enjoys reading, writing, cooking, and painting, and loves spending time outdoors on the many hikes she and her family have been on. Brooke is also very passionate about the environment and enjoys learning about nature, and volunteering to protect it. She has two cats at home, and loves traveling to national parks with her family.