Two ACPS employees and a member of the Alexandria City School Board have been named among the rising stars of Alexandria.
Charles Barrett Elementary School Principal Seth Kennard, School Board Vice Chair Chris Lewis, and John Adams Elementary School First and Third Grade ELL Instructor Michael Suppa are among the 40 leaders and innovators being celebrated as part of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce 2016 40 Under 40.
The three were selected for “their professional and scholastic accomplishments, community and volunteer impact, and their goals for future and lasting impact,” according to the Chamber.
Seth Kennard joined Charles Barrett as principal in 2009. Prior to that Kennard served as the assistant principal at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School. At Barrett he has been credited with greatly increasing student achievement and community support, and with establishing a formal partnership with The Kennedy Center to bring arts integration into all classrooms.
Chris Lews has served on the ACPS School Board since 2013 and has been Vice Chair since 2014. Lewis firmly believes that there is no more important factor in Alexandria’s reputation than the quality of our schools. Chris is also Vice President for Government Affairs at public interest nonprofit, Public Knowledge.
Michael Suppa has been with ACPS since 2015, when he joined us as an English language support specialist at John Adams Elementary School. During his first year with ACPS, he has already seen significant gains in the achievements of his students in reading and math.
“We are honored and thrilled to have three members of our ACPS family among this select group of accomplished professionals who exemplify exceptional leadership and passionate commitment to our community. Their recognition as 40 Under 40 awardees highlights our commitment to our ACPS 2020 goal of having ‘an exemplary staff,'” said Superintendent Dr. Alvin Crawley.
The three, along with the other awardees, will be honored at a reception on July 28.