“She is clothed in strength and dignity and laughs without fear of the future.”  This verse from the book of Proverbs, embodies Ms. Jones, a model for the faith filled women that all students at NDP strive to be.

Growing up right here in Baltimore, Ms. Jones has a lot of history here in Maryland.  She lived very close to Memorial Stadium, surprising me with the fact that she is a huge sports fan! She showed me the autographed football in her office with pride. She attended Seton High School and then went on to get her bachelor’s in Education at the University of Notre Dame of Maryland.  Her career began with teaching first graders, but she moved on, getting her master’s to become a reading specialist at Loyola University.  She finally decided to get an administration degree, and we were lucky enough to have Ms. Jones work at NDP in 2007.

Not many girls at NDP know what Ms. Jones does as principal.  A little insight into her crazy schedule includes working with the other 11 department chairs, evaluating academic policies and curricula, and helping the teachers and staff with any problems, making sure they have all the tools needed to be the best examples for the girls.  She spoke of her job with a joy and a passion that made her dedication to every NDP girl clearly evident. We, at NDP, are beyond lucky to have Ms. Jones’ skill level and loving heart.

Ms. Jones, our fabulous principal, is a truly remarkable woman in her dedication to NDP.  Along with all of her duties as principal, she also works at Notre Dame of Maryland University, where she teaches a reading class.  Ms. Jones’ love for education is obviously apparent in her dedication to all the students at NDP, saying, “Education has been my love.  Seeing children have that desire and curiosity to become lifelong learners makes it all worth it.”

Along with her achievements as an educator, Ms. Jones is an inspiration to all that meet her.  Battling breast cancer this year, Ms. Jones has been an example of strength and grace throughout the year.  Sometimes, when you make the most out of what you have, it turns out being a lot more than you ever imagined.  This quote exemplifies Ms. Jones’ positive outlook on her journey of living with cancer, saying that “it has been a life changing journey that has enlightened me to God’s presence among all of us.”  I was so inspired by her grace and strong faith as she said the greatest blessing and lesson she learned was “that the power of prayer and support can take an illness and make it a path you never expected.”  I asked Ms. Jones the difficult question of who she thought her biggest inspiration was, and she said that the strength from NDP was her biggest inspiration, and that coming to NDP every day brought her such a joy and energy that helped her get through the rough days of treatment.

There is no doubt that Ms. Jones is an inspiration to everyone she has encountered.  She embodies a woman of faith, filled with an immense amount of strength.  She would like to thank the entire NDP community for their prayers and love throughout this difficult year.  NDP is so proud of Ms. Jones, and we are so lucky to have such an amazing woman as our principal.