Seneca Valley Principal Marc Cohen to Retire From MCPS on November 30th

Earlier this month, Seneca Valley High School principal Marc Cohen shared that he will be retiring from MCPS after 30 years in education, effective November 30th, 2023. In a letter shared with the Seneca Valley Community, he stated that he will be “continuing his professional journey supporting school leaders across the county as an Instruction and Leadership Coach.”

“Dear Seneca Valley High School Students, Staff, and Families:

It is with mixed emotions that I write to you today to share that November 30, 2023 will be my last day working for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).  After 30 years in public education, I have decided to retire from the principalship and begin a new professional journey supporting school leaders across the country as an Instruction and Leadership Coach.

I began my career as a teacher and an assistant principal in Carroll and then Howard County. In 2004, I came to MCPS as the Director of Alternative Programs, but soon realized that I needed to be in a school building. I missed the kids, and I missed the dedicated teachers and support staff. In 2006, Dr. Weast, then superintendent, appointed me to the role of principal at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School.  It was at MLK that I came to love Germantown and where my most enduring professional friendships and community partnerships began. Identity, SONS, Journeys Crossing, and so many more leaders in our community modeled daily the importance of high expectations and never, ever, giving up on kids. I LOVED being at MLK, but I also harbored a lifelong dream of becoming a high school principal.  I was humbled to be appointed to Seneca Valley High school in 2010, and in the blink of an eye, nearly 14 wonderful years have passed.  

It has always been my personal and professional goal to provide service to others through school leadership.  I believe, deep in my heart, that each and every student who walks through the doors of our school has within them the capacity for greatness.  For the last 14 years, it has been my job to lead a world-class group of teachers, administrators, and support staff in creating the conditions necessary for SVHS students to see that capacity for greatness become a reality.  At SVHS, we have built something special. We have seen significant academic gains in virtually every measured area. Scores are up, graduation rates are up, college acceptances and scholarship awards are up, and most importantly, we see these improvements across all student groups. Throughout my tenure at SVHS, we have been committed to eliminating the racial and socio-economic access, opportunity, and achievement gaps that exist across our country. And together, we have proven that this goal is attainable.  SVHS is among the most diverse schools in the country.  This diversity is our superpower and I am proud to see our diverse student body equitably represented across all of our success measures and most notably in their participation and performance in our most rigorous programs: International Baccalaureate and Career Technical Education.

Among the accomplishments I am most proud of is the way our community has come together over the years. You spoke loudly and clearly to local officials, and as a result, we built the largest, and most beautiful school in the state. Additionally, you insisted on parity across the county, and in response, we now provide our students access to a robust selection of highly competitive and rigorous programs that are designed to make our kids more competitive in an ever-changing world. We have worked hard to merge the spirit and traditions that come from decades of #TheSenecaWay while honoring the wants and needs of students and families from our expanded attendance area.  And, we stood side-by-side to protect our kids and our community when illness and unrest threatened to damage what we had so carefully built.

Over the last two decades, we have laughed together, cried together, celebrated each other’s successes, and mourned our shared losses. My children grew up knowing how important the Seneca Valley community is to me, and my wife even came to tolerate my seemingly bottomless supply of school spirit wear.  Fun fact: One of the most commonly heard phrases in my household – “Did you really bring home another Seneca shirt?” Being a high school principal is hard and sometimes exhausting work.  I want to thank my family for always supporting me on this journey and for understanding that the long days and frequent nights were for a greater good.  

In the coming days, our Director, Mr. David Chia, will share information about who our Acting Principal will be and what our plans are for the transition in leadership.  This spring, our school community will play a role in identifying the next principal of our great school.  I am grateful to all of you for your support and trust over my 18 years in Germantown.  I hope to have the chance to thank many of you personally over the next few weeks.

I am very proud of the work we have done together as a school community. We are Seneca Valley and I will always be #SVProud.  

Sincerely, 

Marc J. Cohen 

Principal”

Featured photo courtesy of MCPS