Meet the Newest Neelsville Knight

When nearly 900 students charge through the doors of Neelsville Middle School on the first day of school Monday, the sixth graders won't be the only new faces.

Lily "Vicky" Lake-Parcan will be among the newcomers, after being named principal July 25 following the departure of Dollye McClain. School officials said McClain did not reapply for her position as mandated by No Child Left Behind policies for schools that fail to meet academic targets.

The Germantown school missed academic goals in eight areas, according to data released by the Maryland Department of Education.

"We are going to focus on a really strong instructional program," Parcan said. "Our focus is really on teaching and learning, supporting teachers with professional development to make sure that they are equipped to do the job that they are required to do and to look at student performance as a measure of [whether] we are doing a good job or not."

Parcan has also been trying to win over parents, many of whom were upset at news of McClain’s departure. Parcan held a meet-and-greet with parents and students about her background and her vision for Neelsville. Once school resumes, Parcan said she plans to hold weekly coffee sit-downs open to all parents.

Parcan said she would respect school traditions like staff and student schedules and focus on improving student success. Though she said there was room for improvement at Neelsville, No Child Left Behind set unrealistic expectations and labeled good schools as "failing" if they missed their yearly targets in even one subgroup.

"For example, in terms of our English learners, the law as it is written now, you have one year to learn English and to have to take the test," Parcan said.

Parcan is not new to the Montgomery County School System. She began her career in 1989 as a Head Start teacher at Goshen Elementary School and worked her way to Director of Middle School Instruction and Achievement, the position she left to become principal at Neelsville.

Her family moved to Gaithersburg from Chile just after she finished seventh grade at an American school. She said she always knew she wanted to be a teacher. The experience of relocating has made her more sensitive to the struggles many middle school students face.

"Even if you are not coming from a different country, middle school is a transition," Parcan said. "There are changes going on in your life emotionally, physically and so how do you manage that change and still remain a student committed to a strong academic program."