On May 4, Principal Adam Skyles announced to the McDaniel community via email that he was stepping down from his role at the end of the year. 

He shared that he is not pursuing another job in education and added that he found an opportunity that he had to “give up on for the rest of my life, or I have to do it now.”

Skyles said he had a short window in which he had to decide whether to stay or leave his current job. 

“If you’d have asked me two months ago, it’s not something that I was planning or even thinking about,” he said.

Skyles has been at the school for 16 years. He started as a history teacher and football coach. US History and AP Government teacher Amanda Alonso recalls when she was teaching across the hall from Skyles. They collaborated well together because of their similar “rule-follower” personalities.

“We worked together so well that we were able to plan the history lessons and teach the same thing,” Alonso said.

She also said that Skyles’ biggest strength is that “he emphasizes that as a school we’re  a team, and we’re all working for a common goal that helps us all to feel connected to each other even if we’re in different departments.”

Skyles’ direct supervisor, Senior Director of Schools Christyn McCloskey, recognized the impact of Skyles during his tenure and affirmed how some students may feel disappointed in him leaving. 

“Principal Skyles has built strong relationships and led with a deep commitment to students and community,” she commented. “I hope the McDaniel community also recognizes the strength that already exists within the school and feels hopeful about the opportunity to build on that foundation moving forward.”

Skyles said that he planned for another five years at the school. He felt like he was taking a leap with this sudden choice. 

“There’s this risk involved in it, but there’s also a potential to do something that I’ve never done,” he said. 

The school will, of course, need to decide who will succeed Skyles in the principal role. 

McCloskey said that in the candidacy process “[we] look for a principal with a strong instructional vision, a commitment to equity and student success, and the ability to build trusting relationships with the community.”

Alonso hopes the next principal too will be able to realize how strong our school is and provide support without being overbearing.

“Skyles recognizes the strengths of all of the teachers and the staff as a team, and he tries to clear the path so people can do their best work,” she said. 

The school has made sure that the community can be involved in the decision-making process. On Monday, May 11, the school held two separate meetings for families and staff to voice their opinions about what they want from their next principal.

McCloskey said that the district leadership will engage the community throughout the hiring process and work closely with both current and incoming leadership to support a smooth transition into next school year.

Skyles plans on sharing where he is going to end up with individuals personally, but not in writing. He also said that any questions should be directed towards McCloskey at [email protected].