Rodriguez Leaves

Rodriguez Leaves Different SL HighObserver Online | Rodriguez Leaves Different SL High
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Rodriguez Leaves Different SL High
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Rodriguez, principal at South Lakes since 1998, will take a position with Fairfax County schools' human resources department starting in July to help recruit minority educators to the school system.

Rodriguez has worked in the county school system for 31 years, coming to South Lakes after a year as principal of Pimmit Hills Alternative High School in Falls Church, which is where the previous South Lakes principal, William Harper, transferred.
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Rodriguez decided to leave in part because the school is scheduled for renovation starting this summer.She said a school should have one principal throughout a renovation."I've been in education for 31 years and renovation lasts between three to five years," she said.

Rodriguez brought several changes to South Lakes, including introducing an international baccalaureate program, an advanced college-prep curriculum and a focus on international education.

The school has also received several grants during Rodriguez's tenure, including MetLife Bridge Builders grants in 2003 and 2004.The MetLife grants go to principals and schools showing ties between faculty and the surrounding community.

Educators from Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Philippines and Bosnia have visited the school, and the South Lakes International Club for Education and Entertainment (SLICE) was established during Rodriguez's tenure.

School resource officer David Tipton described Rodriguez as a "very safety-oriented person" who has talked to students about gangs and violence.
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But there were challenges when Rodriguez walked through the school's doors in 1998.For one, the school had more students than computers.Rodriguez said the school has worked to add more computers.

She was also concerned about teachers leaving for jobs in Loudoun County, which for some would mean working closer to home.Rodriguez said some but not many teachers moved to Loudoun schools.

South Lakes students have mixed feelings about her departure.