June 22, 2022

At the June 22 Fauquier County School Board meeting, Deputy Superintendent Dr. Major Warner introduced Tara Kidwell as the new principal and Megan Howland as the new assistant principal of James G. Brumfield Elementary School. Kidwell and Howland will take over on July 1 from current Brumfield Principal Matt Yonkey and Assistant Principal Kim Holcomb, who will move as a leadership team to Auburn Middle School. 
 

Principal Tara Kidwell

Tara Kidwell joins Fauquier County Public Schools after working for 21 years in Prince William County Schools. Throughout her time with PWCS, Kidwell served in various roles, including assistant principal at Parkside, Reagan, and Unity Braxton middle schools for ten years and administrative intern at New Dominion Alternation Center for one year. Prior to that, she worked as a sixth-grade language arts teacher at Unity Braxton (formerly Stonewall Middle School) for ten years.

“I was deeply honored and excited to have the opportunity to serve Fauquier County Public Schools and the Warrenton community,” Kidwell said. 

As principal, Kidwell looks forward to meeting the JGB staff, students, and community. “It is important to me that I know whom I am serving as we work together this school year and beyond,” she said.

Kidwell earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Montana State University in 2000 and a master’s in education leadership from George Mason University in 2009.

When asked about what motivates her or her ‘why,’ Kidwell answered, “My ‘why’ is to impact others to see their greatness and potential. I was impacted by different people over the course of my educational life to see my greatness and potential; I strive daily to have the same impact on others.”

In her spare time, Kidwell enjoys working in her garden and cooking. She and her husband Ed and son Cayden like to work on their small farm in Rappahannock County, raising a small herd of cattle, chickens and three Labrador retrievers. The Kidwell family enjoys camping, boating on Smith Mountain Lake, and traveling to see family in Montana.

Assistant Principal Megan Howland 

This past year, Megan Howland worked as a literacy coach in several elementary schools, including Brumfield. Before that, she served as a reading specialist at Bradley Elementary for four years and as a teacher and reading specialist in Prince William County for ten years. 

“Having worked at JGB as a literacy coach this past year, I know how truly special the students and staff are and I was so very excited and honored to have been selected as the next assistant principal of JGB,” Howland said. “To be given the chance to begin my administrative career at a school like Brumfield, with Mrs. Kidwell as our next leader, was the dream scenario for me. JGB was the school I had hoped to be matched with, and I cannot wait to begin!”

Howland is most looking forward to continuing the legacy that Mr. Yonkey and Mrs. Holcomb have started and to becoming part of the JGB community to serve the educators, students, and families.​​

Howland earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from S.U.N.Y. Cortland in 2003, a master’s degree in literacy education from S.U.N.Y. Cortland in 2004 and a master’s degree in educational leadership from George Mason University in 2021.

When asked about what motivates her or her ‘why,’ Howland answered, “My why is our community. I have been blessed with the most supportive family that always made me feel like I could accomplish anything. I want to pass that on and serve our community in a way that allows everyone to see and realize their gifts and potential, to advocate for the very best for our youth and educators, and to help encourage others to contribute to our community and our world in a confident and positive way. We all have amazing gifts to share, and I feel honored to help our community members discover their passions.”

When she is not at work, Megan Howland can be found at a baseball or soccer field with her kids -- Leah, 13 and Jackson, 11. She also enjoys traveling to the beach with her husband Chad and spending time with friends and family. She loves to continue learning as an educator. Whenever she has a minute of downtime, she is most likely trying to dig into a new book or dreaming up the next house project.