Name: Shane Blandford
Role: Principal
School: Indian Head Elementary School
District: Charles County District
State: Maryland
“SEL is important to me because I see first hand how much my students struggle with dealing with conflict and emotions on a daily basis. Unfortunately, they don’t come from home equipped with these skills, and many of our students experience a lot of trauma in their young lives. In my opinion, these skills are vital to the success of our students in school. They won’t be available for instruction unless they have the skills to understand their own emotions and how to respond appropriately to them.”
Shane spent 20 years in the classroom before venturing into administration with the hopes that I could reach more students. She was Vice Principal for three years before being promoted to principal at Indian Head Elementary School. She is entering her third year as principal at Indian Head, and is looking forward to continuing their momentum of all around school improvement.