Excelling in a New Role in School Leadership

In 2023, we introduced you to Ms. Marcella Sims. At the time, she was a special education teacher at the same school that her two daughters attended. Now, a few years later, all three of them are still part of CPS, but they are now at three different schools! 

Ms. Sims moved to a new school to take on a new opportunity as an assistant principal. As an AP, she is able to use her experience as a teacher in new ways to support all of the students in her school community. 

We caught up with her to learn more about how she’s been doing, as well as her advice for other educators looking to make a similar transition. Read more below!

Has being an assistant principal been what you expected, or has it been more unexpected? 

It’s been both. I expected it to require a lot of learning new things, but it’s always changing, evolving, and dynamic. You’re definitely never bored in this role! 

You’re currently in your second year of being an AP. If you could go back to your first day, what would you tell yourself? 

I would first say to give yourself grace, and then remind myself to lead with empathy for both our students and our staff members. I’ll let that ground me as I strive to keep moving forward each day. 

Let’s talk more about this school year. What were your goals for this year, and how has the year been going? 

It’s been going pretty well. We’re a smaller school, which allows us to have small class sizes, which our teachers really appreciate. We’ve gotten some good preliminary data that is going to inform the rest of our school year. We want to capitalize on the growth we’re seeing and help our students reach both their academic and social-emotional goals. We’re also a fine arts school, and we’ve been trying to strengthen our fine arts offering through new partnerships. 

How has your background in special education informed your leadership? 

When I first started last year, we opened a new cluster classroom. We hope to add more of them as well. A passion of mine is to make sure that our school meets the needs of all learners. 

How has this school year been going for your two daughters? 

They’ve been doing great. Mia is in first grade and is still at the school where I used to teach, and Malia is in eighth grade at a CPS academic center. It’s definitely been an adjustment to all be at different schools, but I feel like it’s helping them become more independent. I’m also grateful for the time we had together at the same school, because a lot of other people don’t get to spend that kind of time with their kids. 

What’s your message to them, and the students you serve as an AP, for the rest of the school year? 

With my younger daughter, I’ve told her to be nice, work hard, and learn something new every day. For my older one, I’ve been making sure that she stays on top of all of her obligations. And I keep telling my students to take their learning into their own hands. Their teachers are there to facilitate their learning, but they also need to be open and do their work so they can get the most out of their education.