Alexandria, Va. — Interim Superintendent Dr. Lois F. Berlin has announced the appointment of Heidi Haggerty Wagner as the principal of the new pre-K center that will open this fall at John Adams Elementary School.
Haggerty Wagner has extensive experience in specialized instruction and has spent most of her career working with students with disabilities.
Plans to modernize the new pre-K facility and create classroom space for 360 students are well under way. The Pre-K Center will include students from ACPS Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI), The Campagna Center Head Start program, ACPS Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) and ACPS Preschoolers Learning Together (PLT).
“We are very excited to have Ms. Haggerty Wagner on board to open our new preschool facility on the West End. We firmly believe that children do better in the long run when they have been set up for success through quality pre-K programs. The opening of this center is part of our mission to see that every student has the opportunity to succeed,” said Dr. Berlin.
Haggerty Wagner has been a principal with D.C. Public Schools at J.O. Wilson Elementary School, a diverse Title 1 urban school with a large preschool program, for the past five years. Prior to that, she was principal of Prospect Learning Center where she led instruction for students with learning disabilities and emotional disabilities, and she was a Special Education Coordinator and teacher with Arlington Public Schools.
“I am delighted to be part of the ACPS pre-K team. I believe that every child is capable of learning and achieving when given the proper tools to meet individual needs and utilize strengths and I look forward to leading the new pre-K center and serving the Alexandria community,” said Haggerty Wagner.
Haggerty Wagner has a master’s degree in Educational Administration from the University of Phoenix and a master’s in Special Education, Learning Disabilities from George Mason University.
She will start in her new role on April 2.
