Shortly before Union Mill Elementary Principal Carolyn Coleman retired in June, the school's assistant principal, Molly Kingma, was named as her successor. And Coleman was delighted.
"Molly's been here since the building opened, and she knows the community, staff and parents," said Coleman. "She's the most competent, enthusiastic AP I've ever had and has excellent communication skills. She's definitely ready to be a principal — I leave here knowing the job's in good hands."
And that it is, because working with children is what Kingma always wanted to do. Born and raised in Fairfax, Kingma, 43, of Fair Oaks, graduated from Fairfax High and did student teaching in Fairfax County.
"I love kids — I always knew I wanted to be a teacher and have something to do with education," she said. "When I was a senior in high school, I was in a program where I did tutoring at elementary schools, in special ed, and loved it. I really felt like I was making a difference in the kids' lives, and it was very heartwarming to me."
She received a bachelor of science in special ed from JMU in 1981. Said Kingma: "We did a two-week camp for special-ed kids, and it was a wonderful experience." In 1986, she received her masters in administration from UVA.
She student taught at Hayfield Elementary while at JMU, but her first real job with the county school system was in 1982, teaching learning-disabled (LD) students at Hunt Valley Elementary. Next came three years doing the same thing at White Oaks Elementary.
Kingma joined Union Mill when it opened in 1986, teaching LD students, the first two years. But wanting general-education experience, as well, she then shifted gears and taught that for the next nine years.
She then served five years as assistant principal, but still taught 13 years of special ed in summer school to stay on top of all the changes happening in that field. Brenda Spratt was Union Mill's first principal, and she was the one who encouraged Kingma to go into administration.
"I was with her at White Oaks, and she brought me to Union Mill with her," said Kingma. "She tapped me for a leadership role and thought I'd be good in [it]. And I liked the challenge; although I missed the students, I enjoyed being a leader of leaders. My dream then was to be the principal — and what better place for it to become a reality than Union Mill, where I've been since day one."
Calling the staff and community "fabulous" and supportive, Kingma said the school has volunteers each day and a PTA that's "absolutely extraordinary and wants to do what it can to benefit the kids, help in any way and make their education even better here."
She said her staff likes to try new things, and the members "put their hearts and souls into everything they do. They love their jobs, and I couldn't ask for a more dedicated, professional staff. It's a wonderful opportunity to be a leader here. They were my peers when I taught here, and I loved working with everybody."
As for her philosophy of leadership, Kingma believes "you hire the best people you can, provide them with staff-development opportunities to benefit the students and let them do their job. Then it's everybody working together for the common goal of educating every child. We never lose sight of why we're in this business — educating children and offering them every opportunity we can."
With as strong a staff as Union Mill has, she said, it's members don't need much direction. "And Carolyn gave me lots of leadership opportunities," said Kingma. "She and I looked at the principal and assistant principal as a partnership — which was wonderful, because she had me involved in the day-to-day running of the school."
Kingma also believes in being visible to the students. She goes into the classrooms every day, greets children at the bus in the morning and chats with them in the cafeteria. "I think it shows how much you care about the kids and support the teachers because you're aware of what's going on in the classrooms," she said.
So does she plan any changes at Union Mill? "When you've got a school as terrific as ours, it it's not broken, don't fix it," she replied. She believes education all comes down to reading. She enjoys reading to the students in class, and she encourages parents to read with their children every evening.
Since Kingma likes to spend the school day with the students, much of her paperwork will have to be done after school. "I'm sure it'll mean some long hours, but I'm excited about it," she said. "I feel that the staff and community have put their faith and trust in me, and I want to do the best job I can."
She said what will give her the most satisfaction is "just seeing Union Mill continue to be the fabulous school it's always been. It'll make me so proud to be the leader of such a wonderful school. It's a real family here — a close-knit staff that cares a great deal about each other."
Reading specialist Vicki Liggitt has known Kingma since coming to Union Mill, 10 years ago. Calling her an "outstanding administrator," she said the teachers and community are thrilled to have her as principal.
"She knows the parents well, and they feel very comfortable with her leadership," said Liggitt. "She's a good listener, has everyone arrive at a consensus [to solve problems] and has a strong knowledge of the curriculum for both regular- and special-ed needs."
She said everyone was delighted that Kingma was named principal. Said Liggitt: "She's got the total support of the teachers and the community, and we're looking forward to wonderful years under her tenure."
PTA president Eileen Balberde agrees. "She had the very vocal support of both the staff and the parents throughout the entire principal-application process," she said. "The families at Union Mill wanted [Cluster VII Director] Carma Norman to know they really, truly wanted Molly Kingma to be the next principal [here]. She has great ideas for the school's future; we were all thrilled that she was selected."