Tiffany Halsey

Belair-Edison School

At Belair-Edison School, a typical day of in-person learning begins at 7:45 a.m. Inside, teachers are preparing for instruction, and, on the school’s back parking lot, Tiffany Halsey and her leadership team are waiting to give students a warm welcome. The principal greets her 373 students by name, and when the school’s doors open at 8:10, they line up to shower her with handshakes, hugs, and fist-bumps. “I want them to feel loved, says Halsey. “I want them to feel like they’re wanted here.” The same is true for her relationships with her staff. According to one of the school’s teachers: “Ms. Halsey leads not from the top, but from your side. She is by your side encouraging young people to be their best selves; she is by your side working with families; she is by your side doing the most important task: teaching.” Principal Halsey’s commitment to connecting with students and staff is felt throughout the school.

Brandon Pinkney

Walter P. Carter Elementary School

In 2018, a tradition was born when the new principal of Walter P. Carter Elementary School took to the intercom to deliver a special message. “Now, it’s not a big shocker when I say, ‘If no one told you that they love you today, I love you and I always will,’ announced Brandon Pinkney. But initially, students were puzzled. “There were kids who were just in need of love,” he says. “They needed that presence of an adult who cared for them, so I said, ‘I’m going to show them, but I’m also going to tell them every single day.’” Since Covid-19, remote learning hasn’t stopped the principal from visiting each Zoom class to tell students that he loves them—only now, they say it back. “It’s so fun to hear when I come in. The kids, right away, are like ‘Mr. Pinkney is here!’” In the meantime, he still shows up in person every day to run the school building and make sure that students have the tools that they need for successful learning at home. “I’m still here,” he says—and he still loves them.