Administration

Mrs. Derby is an experienced educator who specializes in working with a variety of student populations with a focus on reaching vulnerable learners. 

I am eagerly anticipating a successful 2022-2023 school year at Briar Woods. This school year marks the  beginning of my  19th year working in LCPS (23 in education!), and my fifth full-year as a Falcon administrator. 

Before joining Briar Woods, I was an English Language teacher at Potomac Falls HS for seven years. I taught EL at Rosa Lee Carter before joining the Panthers, and started my LCPS career at Algonkian ES. I have also taught summer credit recovery on numerous occasions, and taught evening adult ESL classes through LCPS. I am committed to helping support students who experience difficulties and challenges, and work to build strong, productive relationships with these students and their families.

I hold a master's degree from GMU in Education Leadership and Administration, and a second masters in Curriculum and Instruction, specializing in Language Acquisition/ESL. I graduated from Marietta College with a B.A. in Business Management and a minor in English Literature. After graduating from college, I spent about ten  successful years in the business world. I live in Potomac Falls with my husband and we have two daughters who graduated from PFH and AOS. We love animals and have two crazy young dogs named Coco and Finnegan.  

I supervise the World Language department, the English Learner program, and the Career and Technical Education department. I also supervise the maintenance of the BWH school building, the clinic and the school nutrition program.

My assigned student alphabet (by last name) is : S-Z

Please don't hesitate to contact me if I may be of assistance. 

   Email Mrs. Derby