Anderson Adjusts Well At Broad Run

New leadership doesn't always mean new faces. Douglas A. Anderson took over as Broad High School's principal this year after stepping over from an assistant principal's office he occupied for six years.

Replacing Dr. Edgar Markley, who served as principal for 14 years, Anderson seems to be adjusting well to his new digs, which include a giant Spartan mural on the wall.

Donning a football jersey the day before the school's weekend homecoming game, Anderson took time out of the busy day to speak with Patch.

Anderson said he never envisioned himself as a principal when the idea of teaching first lit up his mind as a high school junior in U.S. History.

"Really, I think it was Mrs. Paula Spencer at Woodson," he explained, referring to the Fairfax County high school. "I think it was just her style. I always had a love of history. I liked being in school. It was just sort of the perfect match."

Anderson said he told Spencer and her son, who was in Anderson's class, about the impact she made, but is sure it was not evident at the time.

"I was not a very vocal student, or probably even an engaged student, for most of my high school career," he said. But even with the spark Spencer lit, school administration remained far from his mind. "When I went into teaching I never had any idea I'd go into doing any type of principal's jobs.

"When I was at Madison, the principal there talked me into taking some leadership roles," Anderson continued.  "And my coaching responsibilities, because of that, that gave me some leadership roles."

Anderson coached freshman football at James Madison and served as the defensive coordinator for the varsity teams at James Madison and Westfield high schools. In addition, he coached lacrosse. But a return to school to acquire the necessary training to transfer to an administrative role, along with his growing family, caused him to stop coaching.

Asked if he's able to keep his hands off the Broad Run team, which has lost just one of its past 36 games, he said it's very easy to focus instead on his 7- and 9-year-old sons' athletics.

As for the varsity team's loss a couple of weeks back to Ashburn rival and Dulles District leaders Briar Woods, Anderson said the team's streak had to come to an end eventually.

"I think some people are still a little stunned about it," he said, acknowledging that Briar Woods played well, particularly with two early scores. "They played a really good game. We were on such a roll. It was going to happen sooner or later."

But Anderson added, "If we seem them again, I think we'll take them."

When asked about an educator he admires, he pointed to a colleague who has jumped around to several of the same schools as Anderson–Lynn Davies, who is teaching Humanities and AP U.S. History at Broad Run this year.

"She and I met in college," Anderson said. "She was my leg in to James Madison [High School]. We both went to Westfields together. She was a good role model for me."

Then he said he "lured her to Loudoun."

The transition at Broad Run was made easy, Anderson said, by the outgoing Markley.

"I was very lucky in the fact that Dr. Markley kept me involved in a lot of the decision-making. He was a great mentor," Anderson said, adding that Markley opened opportunities for him and "made it a lot easier on me."

But Markley also left big shoes to fill.

"One of the biggest challenges is keeping the school going so well," he said. "It's a high-performing school. I've never been at a school where teachers do as much for the kids as this school."

To maintain Broad Run's success, Anderson focuses on helping teachers learn from each other, as he learned from Spencer, Davies and Markley.

"We must take care of ourselves," he explained. "As a teacher its very easy to be in a classroom and not see an adult for most of the day."

Having teachers talk and share ideas, not only helps them feel more comfortable with their jobs, but "will translate to the kids as well."

Age: 43

Home: Leesburg since 1999

Family: Wife, Pam, teaches at Lowes Island Elementary; two sons, 7 and 9, attend Sycolin Creek Elementary

High School: Woodson High in Fairfax

College: Radford for undergraduate and graduate degrees

Car: Toyota FJ Cruiser–"I had two [Isuzu] Troopers before that, but driving down Sycolin Road put those cars into an early grave," he said, adding that the ride is much smoother since the road was paved and he got the Cruiser.

Favorite book(s): "I read a lot of James Rollins. Steven Barry's another good one."

Favorite movie: "I think, my favorite movie would be the first Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. That's the closest a movie has come to what I imagined in my mind when I first read the book. It was quite cool."

[Editor's note: Somehow I got out of there without asking him about his bass playing skills, but noticed the instrument in the pictures. According a school system press release, may not be hitting the touring circuit, but enjoys the musical outlet.]