After an amazing and impactful 18 years at AHS, Director of Student Services Jennifer Crump-Strawderman will be leaving for a position as the Director of Student Services at Mountain View High School in Centreville.

Crump-Strawderman announced her plan to leave on Sept 11 and plans to have her last day be tommorow.

The change is a big one for Crump-Strawderman as her new school, Mountain View, is a smaller building. She will be working with alternative education students, adults, ELL students, and students who just need an education in a non-traditional setting; a huge shift from a seemingly normal public high school.

Crump-Strawderman is excited to take on the new opportunity and work on a more one on one basis with her students.

Before her time at AHS, Crump-Strawderman engaged in many things that led up to tenure at AHS. “In high school, I took a course called Peer Helping which was a little different than the course offered now. We were taught counseling skills and we were paired with a middle school student as their mentor/counselor,” she said.

“I realized I really liked helping people. In high school, I did not have a very good counselor and would go to see my boyfriend’s counselor instead. And my mom’s best friend was a high school counselor,” she aid. “All these experiences helped me to realize I wanted to be a counselor.”

It’s obvious that Crump-Strawdermans dedication and care for what she does comes from a very genuine place. This connection with her career choice is the reason why she was so great at her job, and why she will be missed so much.
However, not everything she did was related to being a counselor. “I worked as a bank teller, receptionist in a doctor’s office, and I was a substitute teacher as I paid my way through graduate school,” she said.

After her time in those positions, her career as a counselor began. “Once I graduated, I worked as a long term sub counselor at Lake Braddock Secondary prior to working at Annandale. I came to Annandale because a family friend at my church recommended the school and encouraged me to apply. I left for two years after having my first child and then worked at Edison High School as a counselor but I missed Annandale. As soon as a counselor opening became available, I came back to Annandale.”

In addition to her responsibility as DSS, Crump-Strawderman also faced the responsibility of attending school events. It is a school rule that school events must be attended by at least one administrator and over the course of 18 years, one can only imagine how much of her time was spent at school events. Her persistence with her work shows her extreme level of care and dedication to what she does.

Crump-Strawderman also shares the same high praise about our students and staff that we give to her. “ I think we have the best students in the county (and I have worked at two other high schools) – students here value their education, value diversity and honestly really try hard to get along with each other,” Crump Strawderman said.
“I feel like Annandale is my home. I will be very sad to leave the students and the staff. I honestly believe this place is special and will always hold a special place in my heart.”