Emily Abell Settles In As Principal At Severna Park Elementary School

The simple yet memorable gesture of a childhood educator is, in part, what led Emily Abell to her chosen career today, evidence that small kindnesses can be life-changing.

“The reason I became a principal is because I had an amazing principal as a kid who would stand outside, and the fact that he knew my name and my brother’s name just always amazed me,” she recalled decades later and hundreds of miles away from her home state of Michigan. “That really has stuck with me, the importance of being seen and being known.”

Students being seen and being known are just two of the many values Abell brings to her new role as principal of Severna Park Elementary School (SPES), which she began in July after Principal Kyle Butler departed to lead Lake Shore Elementary School.

“(We) want to be a school where every student feels like they can belong, grow and succeed,” she said in September as she settled into her newest role in an 18-year career within Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS). “So we’re really focusing on making sure everybody who walks through our doors feels like a five-star experience, because that’s what kids deserve, that’s what parents deserve, and that’s what the community deserves.”

Abell noted that SPES is already a five-star school, one of 11 in the county, but that the students are what make the school so special.

Her pathway to the principalship at SPES began at Michigan State University, where Abell completed her undergraduate studies to become a music teacher. Weary of frigid winters, she spent a couple of years teaching in Arizona, where she met her husband, a native Marylander.

His roots brought them back east, and Abell taught at Crofton Elementary School for several years before transitioning to coaching new teachers as a Right Start advisor within the Glen Burnie and Meade clusters.

Along her journey, she earned a master’s degree in school leadership from National University and later a master’s in school administration from McDaniel College. Abell served as acting assistant principal at Van Bokkelen Elementary before being promoted to assistant principal at Monarch Global Academy in Laurel nine years ago. The 2020-2021 academic year was her first serving as principal at Monarch, a kindergarten through eighth grade AACPS charter school.

Abell loved the school community at Monarch and had no plans to move. But when she was approached about the opportunity at SPES, she talked it over with her family and decided it was time to not only “talk the talk” but also “walk the walk” regarding her message to her staff to always put their families first. She applied, interviewed, and was selected for the job. After Abell put in 12-plus-hour days for years, taking the helm at SPES now allows her to serve the community she has called home for 12 years.

Residents of Severna Park, Abell and her husband have two children attending Folger McKinsey Elementary School and one who just started at Severna Park Middle School.

Since the academic year began just over a month ago, she has taken strides to foster familiarity and trust with students and SPES families. During the first week, she read aloud to every class. She visits every classroom every day. She is present in the cafeteria and the hallways; during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal, Abell opens car doors and welcomes kids to school.

Following in the footsteps of her childhood principal, she has even given herself homework: to learn every SPES student’s name before winter break. Abell began her assignment over the summer by studying yearbooks, and after knowing all 840 children at Monarch, she is confident she can learn the roughly 400 SPES students’ names by the time her homework is due.

“School needs to be a place where students feel seen, heard and valued, but where kids are safe, and I think that so much starts with the leadership, and I try to really model expectations for everybody who’s here,” Abell said. She emphasized that the SPES staff are an amazing team.

When she isn’t working, Abell enjoys exercising, reading, traveling the world, and spending time with her family. They are avid sports fans, with their allegiances split between the beltways: her family holds Commanders season tickets, but root faithfully for and attend many Orioles games.

Abell has completed multiple triathlons, and is an Ironman triathlete, having conquered the trifecta of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run twice, years ago in Florida.

As she settles in at SPES, Abell looks forward to seeing continued growth among the students, building trust with the community, and attending the school’s community events. She noted SPES is a school rich in traditions, and some of those will be exciting firsts for her.

“I know that this is a community that needs strong leadership, needs some support, needs positivity, needs love, needs all of that, and I’m excited to be that person for the school community right now,” Abell shared.