New faces to greet students for new school year at Greenwood –

by Terri Hogan

Senior Staff Writer

Greenwood Elementary School in Brookeville will start the school year with a new roof, new ceilings, a fresh coat of paint and a new administrative team.

Carrie L. Zimmerman took over as principal July 1. She is joined by assistant principal Priscilla Sinon, also new to Greenwood.

Zimmerman, 40, lives in Middletown in Frederick County. She most recently served as principal intern at Strathmore Elementary School near Aspen Hill.

She has worked for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) since 2000 as assistant principal of Sequoyah Elementary in Derwood, staff development teacher at Fox Chapel Elementary School in Germantown, and teacher at Ronald McNair Elementary in Germantown and Beall Elementary in Rockville.

Zimmerman also served as the Science, Technology and Engineering instructional specialist for the Department of Secondary Curriculum and Districtwide Programs in the MCPS Office of Curriculum and Instructional Programs.

Each of those positions helped to pave the way for Zimmerman to become a principal.

“While I was the staff development teacher at Fox Chapel, it opened my eyes to see the bigger picture,” she said. “Then I spent three years in the central office, which gave me an even larger scope of the entire county. I was ready to get back into a building to commit to working with teachers who are ready to grow students — I wanted to be that impact.”

She is impressed with Greenwood and its community.

“I have learned that it is a relationship-oriented community and that it values the time to get to know one another,” Zimmerman said. “You see that at community events like Olney Days and National Night – lots of community focused, fun, family events. I value that, so this is a perfect fit for me.”

She said the welcome wagon has been amazing.

“Lots of families have already reached out and the other Sherwood Cluster principals have been so incredibly supportive,” she said.

She has been to Tanterra and Olney Mill swimming pools to hand out popsicles and had another popsicle event planned for the Manor Oaks pool. She also planned a new event on Aug. 21 for all families new to Greenwood this year.

“It’s just a way for them to understand the processes and procedures before our open house,” she said.

An open house, where students have the opportunity to meet their teachers before classes start on Sept. 4, is planned for Aug. 30.

Zimmerman said once the school year begins, she and Sinon will be visible on the curb each morning to greet all students.

“I think it is important to see the kids as they come in and to see their readiness to learn for the day,” she said. “Saying ‘good morning’ or ‘good afternoon’ to their principal will also have a positive impact on their day.”

Zimmerman said it is somewhat unusual to have both a new principal and assistant principal at a school, but she is excited to have Sinon on board.

Sinon comes from Jackson Road Elementary School, where she was the staff development teacher.

“I am so excited to start my career as a principal and thrilled to have Priscilla on this journey with me,” Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman is a product of Montgomery County Public Schools, graduating from Watkins Mill High School in Gaithersburg.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education from Elon University in Elon, N.C., in 2000, a Master of Science in curriculum specialist from Bowie State University in 2006 and a certificate in educational leadership from Hood College in Frederick in 2013.

Outside of school, Zimmerman’s passions are her family and dancing.

She has been married to her husband Tim for 13 years. They have four children — Kelly, 10; Timmy, 9; Chris, 7; and Cassie, 5 — and a cockapoo named Spangles.

As a family, they have season passes to Hershey Park and spend a lot of time there.

She is a certified ReFit instructor, which is a dance workout similar to Zumba.

“I’ve been dancing since I was three years old,” she said. “I was on the pom squad at Watkins Mill and on the dance team at Elon College.”

Zimmerman takes over for Cheryl Bunyan, who announced her retirement in May after serving as Greenwood’s principal since 2007.