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As she begins preparing for her first year as the new Lakeland High School Principal, Amber Brown said she is excited to step back into her “favorite job.”

“Mrs. Brown really impressed us with her passion for Lakeland High School,” wrote Chief of Schools Dr. Stenette Byrd III in an email. “She shared how important it is to respect and honor the traditions and special parts of Lakeland. She also made it clear that she wants to be seen often in the school hallways and at student games and events. We know she’ll be a great addition to the Lakeland High School family!”

Although Brown is from Chesapeake and has a long history with Chesapeake Public Schools, her three step children are enrolled in Suffolk Public Schools, and she and her husband are planning to move closer to the area.

Brown also has three children of her own, the last of whom will be leaving next year.

“I am going to be an empty nester, except for when I get my bonus kiddos every other weekend,” she said. “But I’m ready. I’m a little sad about it, but I’m ready to be back where kids are.”

After graduating from Western Branch High School, Brown majored in Spanish and education at Longwood University. Her first post-college job was teaching Spanish at Indian River High School. She also taught English as a second language classes and AVID before being promoted to assistant principal in 2005.

She also spent a couple of years in the human resources department and was a middle school principal before becoming a high school principal.

“My passion is high school, always has been,” Brown said. “I really like when we have students who are trying to navigate and figure out, you know, what they want to do with their life, and showing them all the different opportunities and career choices.”

After the COVID-19 pandemic, Brown took an opportunity in Hampton to be the Senior Director of Secondary School Leadership. This allowed her to exercise her other passion for mentoring and coaching fellow instructors. 

After that, she took a job as Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Support Services in Poquoson, which she said was a “fantastic job.”

“I’m passionate about mentoring and coaching teachers and helping them find strategies that work in their classroom and making them feel empowered and a greater sense of self-efficacy in the classroom,” Brown said.

When the two hour commute began wearing on her, Brown said she started looking for things closer to home. This is what led her to Chief Schools Officer in Norfolk, where she was most recently. 

While she loved the district, Brown said she realized how much she missed being in a school building and interacting with teachers.

“I have to be a person that is hands on, boots on the ground, like, being in the school buildings,” she said. “So I heard that Suffolk had an opening for a high school principalship. I’ve been talking to my husband for about three years now, saying my favorite job ever was when I was a high school principal, so I took the leap, and it really paid off.”

Brown also felt drawn to Suffolk because this is not her first time with SPS. Brown attended one year of elementary school in the city before moving to Chesapeake. 

“We have had nothing but just great interactions from Suffolk, and I love the hometown feel that’s in a city, and can’t wait to just be a part of it and get to know the members of our community and work together to make Lakeland the very best it can be,” she said. 

Over the summer, Brown is focusing on establishing a good rapport with current Lakeland staff members. She created a Google survey to send out asking about the school’s strengths and weaknesses and any potential changes they would like to see. 

Brown said she’s also hoping to open the building for a few days for optional parent meet and greets before the year starts.

For the first year, Brown said she doesn’t plan on making any big changes, but rather use that time to hear from parents, students, and staff. She plans on meeting with various student groups such as the SCA, athletes, and various other clubs and organizations.

If there isn’t already a principal’s advisory council or community council, Brown said it’s important for her to have something like that as a way to check in quarterly with everyone and “check the pulse of things.”

“I run schools like a family,” Brown said. “I tell our teachers we are one big family, and I tell the students, ‘Hey, on weekends, be kind to your families, be kind to your parents.’”

Byrd wrote that they expect Brown to show a “deep respect for school traditions,” “a strong presence in the school,” and “engagement with the entire school community.”  

Brown said she sees some similarities between herself and Lori White, Lakeland’s previous principal, such as a passion for students and athletics. She feels that White left Lakeland in a position to “grow and flourish.”

“It’s not so much about who you follow, but how you honor the things they did while they were there, and that’s something that I want to continue to carry on,” she said. “I think each principal that’s been at Lakeland has brought something significant and great. So it’s continuing to honor the people before me and then carry on the great work they’ve done.”