Date:   November 13, 2003 
Contact: Irene Cromer
703-791-8720 

Karen Poindexter, Principal of Marsteller Middle School since 1995, has been selected as the Prince William County Principal of the Year and as the recipient of the Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leadership Award.  A committee of parents, teachers, administrators, and other school employees selected Poindexter from among six principals nominated by their school communities for the awards.  The other nominees are Roger Dallek, Gar-Field High School; Rachel English, Ann Ludwig School; Diana Lambert-Aikens, West Gate Elementary School; Catherine “Pat” Puttre, Saunders Middle School; and Jane Wheeless, Penn Elementary School.

Poindexter will receive a plaque from the School Board at the board’s regular meeting on Wednesday, November 19 at 6:15 p.m.

Every principal must, by necessity, wear many hats, but for Marsteller Principal Karen Poindexter during the 2001-2002 school year the most appropriate job title may have been: Karen Poindexter, juggler.  During that one year, Marsteller Middle School moved from a site on Sudley Road which had been sold to Manassas Baptist Church to its new location on Sudley Manor Drive in Bristow.  If that weren’t enough, the school also faced the outbreak of a mysterious rash that frightened students and parents and drew national media attention. 

According to her nominators, Poindexter’s challenges that year included “running ‘Old Marsteller’ in person and via phone; planning and ordering for the ‘New Marsteller,” combating a mystery rash at the old site, meeting with government agencies, advising and soothing students, staff and parents; dealing with the sale of the old site and deliberating about transfer of contents; dealing with several serious drug situations among students and the resulting expulsion of several; assisting staff in transfer of personal material to the new site; and even planning a special Flag Day Ceremony to close out the old building and honor America."

“Mrs. Poindexter’s creativity,” says Assistant Principal John Hince, “is evidenced by the rich variety of curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular activities at Marsteller Middle, such as the first middle school math and science specialty program and the International Club.” 

Poindexter supervised the organization and structure of math and reading remediation programs that directly led to raising the achievement level of the school’s lowest achievers, said Hince. 

Poindexter’s leadership has resulted in successes that can be documented in the most concrete ways, according to her nominators.  The school has been fully accredited for the past two years, with the highest middle school math SOLs in the county.  A School of Excellence for the 2002-2003 school year, Marsteller is one of only five middle schools in the division to have made Adequate Yearly Progress as defined in the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

She has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Middle Schools Association for the past four years and is a regular presenter at both the National Middle Schools Association and the Virginia Middle Schools convention.

Poindexter was the principal of Godwin Middle School from 1990 to 1995 and served as assistant principal there from 1987 to 1990.  She previously taught health and physical education at Stonewall Jackson High School.  A graduate of Marshall University with a Bachelor of Arts in English, Health and Physical Education, Poindexter earned a Master of Science in Health, Physical Education and Recreation from Virginia Tech.  She also has an Administrative Endorsement from The University of Virginia and Virginia Tech.