Eagle BELVOIR
Fort Belvoir celebrates Earth Day Page A7
www.belvoireagleonline.com
April 25, 2019
Skateboarding principal challenges audience at SHARP training event By Adrienne Anderson Writer/Page Designer
R
elentless is the word Hamish Brewer, a self-described tattooed skateboarding principal, uses to describe the legacy he wishes to leave behind. When he spoke to attendees of Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention and Fire and Emergence Services leadership training, April 18, at the Fort Belvoir Community Center, he challenged the audience to define the legacy they wanted to leave behind as leaders.
Brewer’s background Brewer, a New Zealand native, is principal at Fred Lynn Middle School in Prince William County. He received recognition as the 2017 National Association of Elementary School Principals’ Nationally Dis-
tinguished Principal; and earned the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals School Bell Award; and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Virginia Impact Award. He was also called a Northern Virginian of the year by Northern Virginia Magazine and the Principal of the Year for Education Dive in 2018. This year, he was named Prince William County Public Schools Principal of the Year. While he has had a successful career in education, he said he didn’t have the best of childhoods growing up surrounded by drugs and alcohol. He was also told he was not intelligent and failed out of high school. However, he made some changes in his life and went on to become the first in his family to go to college. Now, he’s a doctoral student at Virginia Tech.
“The people you surround yourself with, that’s your future. You’re as good as the people you surround yourself with and don’t let anybody steal your future,” he said.
Make an impact He asked the audience about what they were thinking of on their commute to work: “Were you thinking you were going to come into work today and do the same old work that you do each and every day?” Instead of looking at life as full of obligations, look at the work you do as opportunities. “My kids are not an obligation; they’re an opportunity,” Brewer said talking about the difficulties Fred Lynn Middle School has faced as one of the lowest performing schools
See Legacy, page A10
Photo by Paul Lara
Hamish Brewer, Fred Lynn Middle School principal, delivers a speech on leadership and personal responsibility at the Fort Belvoir Community Center, April 18.
Want to share your passion? Teach it By Adrienne Anderson Writer/Page Designer
S
hare your passion with youth, while earning extra cash, as a Fort Belvoir Child and Youth Services instructor teaching specialized classes offered to children and youth on post. Examples of the variety of opportunities there are for instructors include piano, guitar, dance, educational workshops, martial arts and personal development. “CYS tries to offer instructional programs that you won’t normally find in schools, such as individual lessons with instruments and group instruction,” said Julian Bogan, p ro g r a m op e r at i o n s pe c i al i s t. A2
Housing Information
“We’re looking for a broad range of instructors for the instructional programs.” To become an instructor, you need to show your qualifications, such as experience, degrees, or certificates. You must show proficiency in the area you are teaching and pass a background check. The instructional program is aimed at those who want a flexible schedule. Instructors can use the program as a full-time opportunity or as a side job to make extra income. You will be a contract employee, not a CYS employee, he added. Photo by Paul Lara
Richard Wilkins, Tae Kwon Do instructor with CYS, observes students at practice.
See CYS, page A10 A6
Blossoms on Belvoir
A7
Earth Day Coverage
A9
BSC scholarship ceremony