By Madeline Otten
Correspondent
With less than a month left of summer, Fluvanna County Flucos are soaking up as much sun as possible before returning back to school. Changes will be made like every other year, and especially for Fluvanna County Middle School (FMS), which will be welcoming a new assistant principal, Darren McCauley.
McCauley was previously at Fluvanna County High School (FCHS) and wore many hats during his time there; he taught business and marketing related classes as well as keyboard applications. On top of that, he was also the assistant athletic director and coached multiple sports. Even though McCauley will miss his students, he is looking forward to meeting the students at FMS.
“I found myself spending more time thinking of how I could have a greater impact on people. I knew administration was in my future and saw this position as a good fit,” said McCauley. “I have enjoyed having an impact on the lives of our young people. It is my desire to positively interact with more young lives.”
The first day of classes begins on Aug. 11 and McCauley started his preparations in early July. While math, school safety, state testing, and social media will be some of the major areas he will work on as assistant principal, he will also work together with Lara Dugolinksy, FMS principal, to ensure the best for the students. He also believes that the need for a strong administrative team is cohesive and works together for success.
When it comes to success, developing relationships is also very important to McCauley and he wants the students to know that he will always look out for the students.
“Primarily, I want the students to know I have their best interest at heart,” said McCauley. “They may like my answers or sometimes even disagree with me, but I will always look out for our students, individually and as a student body.”
McCauley’s vision for FMS is rooted in building relationships with not only the students, but also the staff so everyone feels safe and respected. He describes himself as a transformational leader and as someone who likes to share his vision, listen to others in the organization, and empower people to take ownership. He also works to give clear explanations and guidelines.
To help continue to build these relationships with the students, McCauley is using what he learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and utilizing tools and systems, like Google Classroom, Google Meets, Zoom, and DocuSign, for ways to motivate students.
“The pandemic was (is) terrible and we are not fully out of it yet,” said McCauley, “I also know that some good things came out of COVID-19. Teachers were forced to get out of their comfort zones and focus more on students as individuals rather than as a classroom.”
As the 2021-2022 school year nears, McCauley and all of the Fluvanna County school staff are eager to welcome the students back for another year of learning. This past year has been challenging and rewarding in some ways, but was also one with many lessons. For someone who has been a Fluco for over 17 years, McCauley is ready to take on the new school year with his new role and to show what it means to be caring and inclusive – a true Fluco.
