NEWARK – After a four-decade career in education, Worcester Technical High School Principal Caroline Bloxom will retire this month.
Bloxom, well known through leadership roles at Pocomoke Middle School and then Worcester Technical High School, will leave Worcester County Public Schools June 30.
“My life has been blessed and enriched by the hundreds of wonderful students and colleagues I have had the privilege to work beside,” Bloxom said. “For the past 30 years of my long career, I have been honored to be a part of the Worcester County Public Schools family which has achieved success that we can all be proud of playing a part.”
Bloxom, whose teaching career started in 1978 at Nansemond Suffolk Academy in Virginia, joined Worcester County Public Schools in 1988. Though she initially started as a math teacher, Bloxom went on to serve as a curriculum planner and coordinator of instruction for the school system. She credits Richard Walker, who was assistant superintendent of instruction at that time, for being a valuable mentor.
“He demanded excellence and no excuses from all educators on behalf of all students,” Bloxom said. “I learned from him that a courageous leader will always stand up and fight for what is right, even if it isn’t popular.”
That lesson served her well when she was appointed principal of Pocomoke Middle School in 2000. She was quick to eliminate practices she felt were unfair and instead implemented programs aimed at expanding student success.
The efforts of Bloxom and her staff drew national attention in 2010, when the NBC Today Show visited the facility as part of a focus on education.
Bloxom left Pocomoke Middle to take over leadership of Worcester Tech in 2012. The move to a school that focused on career and technology education (CTE) was an adjustment for Bloxom. Though she started in the role during the summer, she admits she didn’t truly understand the school until students returned that fall.
“When the kids arrived, I was able to walk through the building,” she said. “Every door I opened was something entirely different. After a couple weeks, I said I don’t know why every student isn’t having a CTE experience. It’s real life. It’s problem solving at its best.”
During Bloxom’s tenure at Worcester Tech, enrollment has increased by close to 40 percent and the number of programs offered to students has expanded by 47 percent. Teachers at the school say they’re sorry to see Bloxom leave.
“We are sad to see Mrs. Bloxom retire,” said Rick Stephens, a welding instructor and SkillsUSA advisor. “She worked very hard to propel Worcester Tech up to be one of the top technical schools in Maryland. With the addition of new programs, more high school students have the opportunity to attend Tech.”
Stephens said the SkillsUSA program, which encourages students to hone technical and professional skills, had also expanded at Worcester Tech under Bloxom’s leadership. He said both teachers and students appreciated her open-door policy and willingness to support all of the school’s programs.
“There was never a doubt that when Mrs. Bloxom made a decision it was made to benefit the students of Worcester County,” Stephens said.
Valerie Zienty, a pre-engineering teacher at Worcester Tech, said it was Bloxom who hired her.
“She always believed in me, supported my ideas, trusted me to try new things in the classroom and outside of it,” she said.
In April, the Maryland State Department of Education recognized Bloxom’s efforts at Worcester Tech. Through the CTE Awards of Excellence Program, Bloxom was named Outstanding Change Agent.
“I thought it was very fitting,” Zienty said. “She is a true-life changer for me — from hiring to always congratulating when things are great, to always being there. She will be missed.”
School board member Elena McComas also praised Bloxom following this spring’s award.
“Principal Caroline Bloxom is a dedicated educator who has taken her vision and hard work over these past years to bring Worcester Technical High School into the 21st century,” McComas said. “Her support of expanded programs, increased student participation and the success of the national SkillsUSA program are all a part of why she was recognized as one of Maryland’s outstanding educational leaders this year.”
Bloxom said that at both Pocomoke Middle and Worcester Tech she simply focused on doing what she could to move the facility forward.
“You come to a school and assess where it is,” she said. “You build on the strengths and tackle the weaknesses. Your job is to keep the school moving forward.”
Bloxom says she’ll miss her work but is looking forward to spending more time with family, particularly her 6-year-old granddaughter. She is also considering doing some consulting.
“Lots of people have asked me upon hearing of my retirement after a 40-year career how I want to be remembered,” she said. “I hope I will be remembered for making decisions based on what is best for students — not just saying it but actually doing it.”
