Dear Stone Middle School Community,

The Region 5 Leadership Team is pleased to announce that Ms. Sonya Williams has been named the new principal of Stone Middle School!

Ms. Sonya Williams holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Criminal Justice from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a master’s degree in School Counseling – Psychology from Marymount University. Ms. Williams has over 23 years of experience in public school education. She started her career with Fairfax County Juvenile Detention Center as a Probation Counselor in 1999. Ms. Williams has over 11 years of school administration experience having served as a Director of Student Services at Westfield High School from 2017-2022 and Langley High School from 2011-2017.

Serving as the Director of Student Services in two unique and distinct schools over the last decade, Ms. Williams has demonstrated that she is a talented and beloved educational leader who is able to connect with all stakeholders in a school community.  She is an intuitive leader who listens, seeks to understand, and then works with others to forge a path forward that is beneficial to all, with a particular focus on the needs of her students. During her tenure at Langley and Westfield, Ms. Williams has developed numerous curricular programs that support transitions and home/school outreach which is so vital in a middle school setting.  She has collaborated with various community organizations such as the Safe Community Coalition, Family Network, and the Josh Anderson Foundation, to implement yearly programming based on current needs/trends of the community addressing concerns from the youth survey.  She served as the coordinator of the Westfield Cares program, a collaboration with their business partner (Westfield Business Owners Association), highlighting mental health and coping skills for over 300 tenth-grade students. 

Ms. Williams has demonstrated throughout her career that she is a highly skilled communicator.  During her time at Westfield High School, she facilitated quarterly Spanish Speaking Family nights to communicate ongoing changes in the school district, curriculum updates, college admissions information, and reopening plans.  These evening parent workshops resulted in increased student attendance, an increase in the number of Hispanic students participating in honors courses, and an increase in the number of Hispanic students planning to attend 2- or 4-year institutions after high school.  In addition, Ms. Williams served as the Facilitator of G.R.A.C.E (Girls Reaching for Academic & Cultural Excellence) and Y.M.L.G (Young Men Leadership Group).  These groups encourage and mentor students in the school community.  Through her efforts, 100% of the students in these groups graduated, and 100% of participating graduates then enrolled in a 2- or 4-year institution after high school.  The programs also resulted in a decrease in discipline infractions for all students engaged in these groups.

Ms. Williams is a leader among her peers.  She has mentored several school counseling leadership cohorts with a focus on closing achievement gaps and future leadership opportunities in FCPS.  Several of her mentees have since been hired into leadership positions throughout the county.  In addition to serving as the Director of Student Services at Westfield HS, Ms. Williams was asked to serve as the Acting Student Services Support Manager in the Office of School Counseling for nearly 6 months during the pandemic.  During this time, she gathered feedback from her DSS colleagues, created and facilitated meaningful professional development, created a county-wide school counseling handbook for virtual instruction, and collaborated with numerous FPCS and County departments/agencies to support students and the community during the historic pandemic.  Ms. Williams is a leader who is reflective, decisive, collaborative, enthusiastic, and empathetic.  She has a strong belief in the power of relationships and the importance of ensuring that ALL students, families, and staff members feel seen, heard, and connected to their school community during these important middle school years.  Having served the Westfield community over the last five years, she is uniquely suited to work with the Stone MS students, staff, and parents during these important transitional years of adolescence. 

Please join me in welcoming Ms. Sonya Williams as the new principal of Stone Middle School. She has begun the position on August 1, 2022.

Rebecca Baenig
Assistant Superintendent
Region 5