Arlington-“In order for public education to survive and thrive we need to rethink the ways that we think about public education.” These are the words of Andrea Hundredmark. An avid cyclist, North Carolina Tar heel supporter, and newly hired Vice Principal of Arlington High School.

Over the summer I was given the opportunity to sit down with her and talk with her about her background in education and also her plans for Arlington High School’s future. During the summer while most of us were either sleeping in or having fun in the sun, Hundredmark was packing up her belongings and her three dogs to make a nearly 2,867 mile journey to our town of Arlington.

She left behind her a school district in North Carolina that she nearly helped transform. That school district and city is known as Durham, which along with Raleigh and Chapel Hill make up a majority of the population for the state. When speaking with Hundredmark on Durham it’s clear to see her appreciation of her roots, often times during our interview together she simply referred to it as ‘home.’

One of the most profound impacts that Hundredmark left in her former school district was not only and educator who truly cares about students but is also a biking program that takes students with disciplinary repercussions out on some of the biking trails in the greater North Carolina area.

What’s interesting is the fact that this  program  was started as a spur of the moment type thing. “ I kept seeing the same kids in the same cycle of suspension and disciplinary consequences that I decided to do something about it” she says. Instead of turning a blind eye to potentially at risk youth, Hundredmark started taking groups of students biking on the weekends as a means to give kids an escape from their everyday lives.

Not only did the biking program give students an escape from their environment but it also taught them lessons in responsibility. In order for students to be granted access to attend biking excursions they first needed to receive signatures from all of their teachers. This lead students who previously were disrupting class or simply not showing up at all to those same students attending class and working harder than ever to finish their school work.

This approach of not turning a blind eye to students who act out is something that can only be admired and respected. By the end of her days in Durham, numbers for the biking excursions were at an all time program high. In addition to this, middle school students who were potentially at risk were also attending the same bike rides and given mentor ship by high school students who had previously gone on biking outings.

When asked if she would try to implement a similar program in the Arlington School District she said that it was a possibility. However, for now one of Hundredmark’s goals is to get a deeper understanding of Arlington and it’s people. In addition to this, working hard and coming together as a group to solve problems and promote discussions on school related topics is a top priority.

She encourages students regardless of disciplinary history or background to come say hello to her. I’m sure that with a student’s first impression of her that they’ll find someone who is dedicated to education and someone that they certainly won’t be disappointed with.