Meet the Heart of Kenwood: Your Administration Team

Have you ever wanted to know more about our Kenwood team leaders? They all come from various backgrounds but are all leaving their leadership mark on Kenwood.

Brian Powell – Mr. Powell is originally from Annapolis, Maryland. He graduated from Annapolis High School where he played football, basketball, and baseball. He then went on to Salisbury University to continue playing football. He got his Bachelors Degree and his Masters Degree at Salisbury University in Education.

After that he moved to Baltimore where he taught at Dundalk High School for five years as a Special Education and Science teacher. While at Dundalk, he also coached football, basketball, and baseball. He was then an Assistant Principal (AP) at Overlea High School for three years. Then, in 2016 he came to Kenwood as a principal so this school year starts his seventh year.

Mr. Powell loves Kenwood; the students, staff, and teachers. He really likes how we have extra curricular activities here at Kenwood that helps our graduates focus on their interests. He stated, “I enjoy working with students, families, and our teachers on a daily basis.” Some different opportunities that led Mr. Powell to become a principal is that he still sees himself as a teacher and coach for all of us every day. His daily motivation comes from our students and staff. He loves getting to see all the success and progress the students make, like receiving honor roll and achieving their goals.

Mr. Powell’s advice for our students is “Set goals for yourself and think about life after high school and how you are going to impact your family.” With all that Mr. Powell does for KHS we look up to him and admire his dedication the Kenwood community.

Valicia Beaty – Mrs. Beaty, one of the APs here at Kenwood, is in her second year at Kenwood, and her 21st year in education. She grew up playing basketball and dancing all throughout high school and college!

She really likes how Kenwood is a very “diverse population of kids”. She also added that she enjoys learning about the kids here and sometimes she ends up having a lot in common with the students here.

She stated, “I technically have 9th graders this year but as an assistant principal we can interact with any student with in the building.” Before becoming an AP, Mrs. Beaty was a special education department chair at Overlea High School. When she was a teacher, she only knew the kids she taught, but now has the opportunity as an AP is to get to know all the students here at Kenwood.

Having a child of her own motivates her to be there for students because she hopes that when her child is at school someone is taking care of her just like how she takes care of us. The most inspiring advice that she could give any student is, “Remember the bigger picture. You’re only here for four years. You have a whole life ahead of you, so understand some of the choices that you make dictates how that could look for you in the long run. I don’t expect students to be perfect and I don’t expect them to not make mistakes, but I do expect them to put in a good effort”. Kenwood staff and students are very lucky to have Mrs. Beaty as one of our principals.

Tiffany Saylor – Mrs. Saylor has been at Kenwood for twenty-one years. She started out as an English teacher, then was a College and Career Research teacher. After that Mrs. Saylor was promoted to become the 9th grade administrator. She recently got married last school year.

When she’s not at Kenwood, she often keeps busy working other jobs. She loves Kenwood because “the kids make it worth it for me to get out of bed in the morning, to get to see people I know, people that I’m used to being around, and to know I can make a difference in their lives.”

There was an incident as a teacher that made her realize she needed a position where she could have a bigger impact on the students. Mrs. Saylor is motivated by knowing that she can have an impact on a students’ days and on a family’s impression of school because some families don’t put that much value into schools because of past experiences, and she thinks she can change parents and students’ perspective on schools itself.

She advises students to “Stay out of drama because once you get sucked in you can’t get out of it.” We at Kenwood High are very appreciative of Mrs. Saylor’s care of our students to make us be the best we can be.

Erin Ray – Ms. Ray was born and raised in Baltimore. A fun fact about Ms.Ray is as a child she did synchronize swimming. She’s very tall but basketball wasn’t her thing so she got into swimming.

Ms. Ray is the newest AP at Kenwood, but she is not new to Kenwood as she’s been here for ten years. She started as the School-Career Department Chair, but in July 2019 she was announced as the new AP for Kenwood High School. She has been in education also for twenty-one years. Ms. Ray started as an English teacher for seven years, then she taught College and Career Research and then Decision and Family Living before becoming an AP. She decided to take on the role as an AP because she wanted more of a challenge.

She saw becoming an administrator as a way to impact more students, not just the students she taught. She likes how Kenwood is an interesting school with somewhere to go, classes to visit, and always something to do. She also likes how there are always interesting students to talk to and never a boring, dull moment at Kenwood.

She loves how Kenwood is like a “Family. We may not get along all the time, but we are always there for each other. When push comes to shove, we stick up for one another just like family.”

She is self motived as she say, “If you’re going to do a job, do it right.” She wants Kenwood to be the best in BCPS, and if she does her job well the students will be successful and that’s the most important thing to her. She advises students, “Take every opportunity available and read because it helps expand your mindset and imagination.” Ms. Ray has always been there for our students and continues to do so, and KHS really appreciates having her here as our new AP.

Pete Taylor- Mr. Taylor has been working for Baltimore County Public Schools for twenty-six years. This is his thirteenth year at Kenwood. He taught English at Pine Grove Middle, Cockeysville Middle, and Dulaney High School before becoming an AP here at Kenwood.

He enjoys working with the students and staff at Kenwood. He became an administrator because, “My desire is to make a difference in the lives of the students and to help them to overcome the academic and other challenges students face.”

Mr. Taylor’s advice for students is, “Always give one hundred percent of your effort because anything less than your best means you are not giving it everything.” KHS is very lucky to have someone like Mr. Taylor who cares about the students and staff.

Alice Burke- Mrs. Burke was an English teacher before she became an assistant principal first at Pikesville High before moving to Kenwood. She’s been in education for over two decades. When she’s not busy at Kenwood with staff and students she’s at one of her three kids, two boys and a girl, athletic games. She’s one of the sweetest people gracing the halls of Kenwood and Kenwood is lucky to have her as one of their administrators.

These six are here to make students and staff experience at Kenwood the best possible education experience and here at Kenwood we’re fortunate to have the best administration team around.