Community Corner

South County Middle School's Marsha Manning Named FCPS Outstanding First-Year Principal

South County students stood up and cheered when the announcement was made.

Marsha Manning, the principal at South County Middle School, has been named the Fairfax County Public Schools 2013 Nancy F. Sprague Outstanding First-Year Principal. Manning, who opened the new school last fall, is a 23-year veteran of the school system.   

“Through Mrs. Manning’s efforts, South County Middle School has something that ordinarily takes years to create—an identity,” said South County parent Christine Morin, who co-chaired the fundraising effort to have the middle school built. “This identity was forged by a leader who is truly ‘in the trenches’ with her teachers and students. It is executed by teachers whom she engaged and energized, and embodied by students who feed off of the positive vibe that fills the school.”

The announcement of Manning's award over the school loudspeaker lifted many South County students out of their seats. 

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“There was a long standing ovation," said science department chair Robert Ellis. "That kind of admiration for a leader is rare and precious. And, it doesn’t come about without hard work, integrity, and exceptional passion.”

Manning received her Master's degree in educational leadership from George Mason University in 1999. Her first teaching job with Fairfax County was at Washington Irving Middle School, where she taught English from 1990-1999. She was then an assistant principal at Mark Twain Middle School, and in 2005, helped open the brand new South County Secondary School.

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She was the subschool principal at South County for seven years until it converted to a high school, and with that conversion, more than 1,000 middle schoolers were introduced to the brand new South County Middle School next door with Manning as principal.  

"It's never been work for me," Manning said in a previous interview with Patch. "I don't spend much time in my office. I like to be out with the kids and the teachers… I like to listen to all voices and get as much input as I can. I have shared decision-making when appropriate, but I'm able to make the hard decisions when necessary."   

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