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Schools go in-house for Stone replacement
Meiser
Meiser is new principal after Martin retires
By GRETCHEN PHILLIPS
Staff writerAs Thomas Stone High School Principal L.C. Martin steps down, vice principal Michael Meiser steps up.
Meiser was appointed principal of the Waldorf high school by Charles County Schools Superintendent James E. Richmond. The Charles County Board of Education approved the appointment at its regularly scheduled meeting last week.
Martin, who has been principal of Stone for seven years, announced his retirement earlier this year.
Meiser has served as vice principal since 2007 and has spent his career with Charles County, beginning as a social studies teacher at Westlake and La Plata high schools in 1993 until becoming vice principal of Benjamin Stoddert Middle School in 2004, according to a press release from the school system.
He also served as administrator in charge of the Middle School Summer Reading and Math Academy sites from 2004 to 2007.
Having spent many years in Charles County schools and the past five at Stone as vice principal, Meiser said he has already established roots and has a good sense of the school community.
Meiser said he is humbled to step forward as principal at Stone.
“A lot of good principals have come through Thomas Stone,” he said.
In a press release from the school system, Meiser said, “Like Mr. Martin, the previous school leaders have laid the foundation of an outstanding school here at Thomas Stone, always putting the best interest of the students first. We will always continue to put the best interest of the students first, as we prepare them for career and college readiness.”
Meiser said Martin prepared him well for his new position.
“Mr. Martin always said his job was to prepare vice principals to be principals. ... He did a great job of mentoring us in that way.”
Having been promoted from within, Meiser said the impact on students will be minimal.
As vice principal, Meiser said he and the other administrators, including Martin, were viewed by students and parents as equals. Meiser said oftentimes he and other vice principals were referred to as principal, i.e., “Principal Meiser,” on many occasions.
So for Meiser to now be the principal, he said the move from within will keep the stability and structure students need.
Meiser said he was met with overwhelmingly positive responses from parents on the appointment to principal.
Parent Latrina Carr of Waldorf said the school system made the right choice with Meiser.
“Every time I see him, he’s always involved,” she said.
While his height at more than 6 feet may intimidate some, Carr said students, like her son, get along with him and say he is a nice guy.
“He’s always there taking care of the kids’ needs,” she said.
Carr said Meiser knows the ins and outs of the school and is able to keep order during assemblies and other events she has attended.
As for any changes he will make as the new head of the school, Meiser said whenever someone comes in as a new principal, he or she looks to make the school better.
“Right now Thomas Stone has a good model. Our charge over the summer is how can we make it better?” he said.
One thing that he would hope remains the same is the school’s family-like atmosphere.
Currently, he said, staff work very well together and “it’s going to take everyone working together to move forward,” he said.
gphillips@somdnews.com