Dear Westlawn Community,

The Region 2 Office is pleased to announce that Mr. Christoph Hill, current Assistant Principal at Westlawn Elementary School, has been named the new principal of Westlawn Elementary School. 

Mr. Hill began his career in Fairfax County as a classroom teacher.  After spending five years in the classroom, he transitioned to become a reading specialist at Parklawn Elementary where he spent two years impacting academic achievement in literacy.  In 2015 he moved to Glen Forest Elementary where he was hired as the instructional coach.  In that role, he was able to impact every student and teacher in the building through supports in both math and literacy.  In 2017 he became the assistant principal working alongside the principal and administrative team to ensure that every student had access to all areas of the curriculum and that every student, staff member, and family felt welcome in the school.  In 2020 he joined the Westlawn Elementary staff as an assistant principal where he continued to have an impact on academics as well as culture.

Mr. Hill has a great deal of experience in Title I schools working at Washington Mill Elementary, Parklawn Elementary, and Glen Forest Elementary Schools, and these experiences have prepared him for this new role as the new principal of Westlawn. As a result of being an elementary school teacher, reading specialist, instructional coach, and assistant principal, he brings a variety of hands-on academic experiences in reading and math. His deep understanding of Balanced Literacy and the Math Workshop will impact academic achievement for all students, especially those who are English Language Learners.  His leadership practices and academic results at Parklawn, Glen Forest, and Westlawn demonstrate that his beliefs and practices are aligned with the FCPS Portrait of a Graduate and opportunities for all students. In addition, Mr. Hill has a deep understanding of the co-teaching model which supports students with disabilities achieve at their highest levels.

During his tenure as an instructional coach and then assistant principal, Christoph played a key role in the development, implementation, and evaluation of high-performing collaborative teams.  He values and recognizes the importance of a Professional Learning Community culture. As an assistant principal, he has been able to continue to apply and model effective team practices by empowering teachers and by developing collective capacity among members of the faculty and staff.

As an educator, Mr. Hill has clearly demonstrated the importance of a rich curriculum to challenge all students at very high levels of rigor.  He believes that access and opportunity to the Advanced Academic curriculum is a must for all students in FCPS.  Mr. Hill also believes that all students, with the appropriate supports and scaffolds, should have access to lessons that elicit inquiry and creativity. As an administrator, he has been able to demonstrate that neither income nor English Language development are barriers for students to be successful.  In addition to his other qualifications, Mr. Hill has received extensive training in the Responsive Classroom approach and he is an educational consultant for the Center for Responsive Schools thus allowing him the ability to apply many of the effective principles to support a variety of schools throughout his career in FCPS.

Mr. Hill holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education Interdisciplinary Studies from Radford University.  He has also attained a Master of Science degree in Education Leadership from George Mason University.   

Please join me in welcoming Mr. Hill as the new principal of Westlawn Elementary School.

Fabio Zuluaga, Ed.D.

Assistant Superintendent, Region 2