Mr. Sinclair Steps Down, Search for a New Principal Begins

In case you missed it, Blake’s beloved Bob Sinclair is leaving our school after the end of this year to take a role at MCPS central office as Consulting Principal for the Department of Professional growth systems. 

Dr. Donna Redmond Jones, the Acting Associate Superintendent from the Office of School Support and Well-being is currently in the midst of the selection process for our next principal and is taking input from all stakeholders in the community– staff, parents, students, etc. 

On Friday, Apr. 14, a principal selection panel took place in Blake’s Amphitheater consisting of students from different grade levels. Staff and community meetings were held before the student meeting. 

The student panel was formatted as an open discussion, and students were encouraged to speak up about what they would like to see in Blake’s next principal as well as issues they would like to be addressed. 

Recurring issues that were brought up with students were the fact that our arts program is severely undervalued despite that being Blake’s signature program, a lack of consequences for students’ poor behavior such as fighting, the discrimination, and singling out of students of color– especially Black, Brown, and LGBTQ+ students, the infamous troubles of our bathrooms, and the general security/safety of/in our building.

We hope that by early May, the next principal for Blake High School will be selected. For those wondering if Ms. Shanay Snead (our current principal intern) could be our next principal, she is an eligible candidate, but we do not have any confirmation of her interest or her current standing in the interview process. Stay tuned here for more updates and the announcement of our next Principal.