GSEHD alumna Dr. Cheronda Farrish (master's, Special Education and Disability Studies) is the new principal of Cedar Lane School in Falls Church, VA. Dr. Farrish previously held the role of Assistant Principal at James Madison High School. Douglas Tyson, FCPS Region 1 Assistant Superintendent, said, "Dr. Farrish’s committed work as a special education teacher, her experiences leading special needs programs, her accomplishments as the Assistant Principal of the Comprehensive Services Site at Madison High School, combined with her warmth and caring nature, make her an ideal candidate to lead Cedar Lane School."
Farrish joined Fairfax County Public Schools in 2009 as an instructional assistant and later served as a special education teacher at Olde Creek Elementary School in Fairfax. She later taught special-education students at Columbia Elementary in Annandale and Marshall Road Elementary in Vienna.
While teaching at the elementary level, Farrish was a cooperating teacher at George Washington University, partnering with the university supervisor to support interns pursuing master’s degrees in special education.
In 2016, Farrish became chairman of the special-education department of Madison, and a year later was promoted to become an assistant principal.