As an educator, administrator and aspiring principal, the opportunity to serve in a new role and lead a high-quality team of education professionals at Belvedere Elementary School was one Allyson Long simply could not pass up.
Aiken County Board of Education members approved Long’s appointment as the new principal at Belvedere Elementary School for the 2020-21 school year during the school board’s May 26 regularly scheduled meeting. Dr. Sal Minolfo, the school’s current leader, previously accepted a new position as the District’s new Director of Administration.
“I was excited about all the growth they’ve had the last four years as they have had a dramatic increase in their SC Ready ELA and math numbers and I really wanted to be a part of continued growth,” Long stated. “Those numbers tell me they are very intentional in the instructional decisions they are making to ensure that all students are experiencing growth.”
Long says the school district’s reputation as a great place to work was also important.
“Moving to a new position as principal I’m definitely looking to put down some roots and bring my own family,” commented Long, who currently serves as Assistant Principal at Cayce Elementary in Cayce, South Carolina, near Columbia.
Her academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Middle Level Education from the Honors College at the University of South Carolina, and a Masters of Education in Educational Administration from the University of South Carolina.
Prior to serving as an assistant principal at Cayce Elementary, Long served as a Title One Administrator, Instructional Coach and Lead Interventionist at Pelion Middle School for four years. In addition to these assignments, she served as Program Director and Site Coordinator for three extended school day programs where she managed over $500,000 in federal funding. Her career in education began in the classroom as a seventh- and eighth-grade teacher of English/Language Arts at Chapin Middle School and Gilbert Middle School, respectively.
“I’m looking forward to using my instructional coaching background and my title one experience along with my recent experience as an assistant principal,” stated Long. “I think taking all of those things together will be a good fit for Belvedere Elementary. While serving as an assistant principal I’ve found the priority has to be on building those trusting relationships and having clear and open communication with everyone involved.”
Long says the opportunity provided to Belvedere Elementary students to participate in a Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Program was another element of the school she found compelling.
“Mandarin is the number one spoken language in the world today and giving students as young as Kindergarten the opportunity to progress toward becoming bilingual is just a wonderful opportunity and I would definitely love to see that program grow,” commented Long.
Before the start of the 2020-21 school year, Long says she wants to make the first of many new introductions as she gets to know the Belvedere Elementary family, students and parents in the school’s community.
“My main focus is getting to know the community better and starting to build those relationships,” stated Long. “Strong relationships are the foundation of success and I think that’s definitely where I need to start. I’m very excited to become a part of the Belvedere Elementary family and to be a part of Aiken County Public Schools.”
Long will begin her duties as Belvedere Elementary School principal in July.
LINK TO DISTRICT PRESS RELEASE: PR 2020 BELVEDERE PRINCIPAL