Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: The First Latina High School Principal in MCPS

When Alicia Deeny was announced as the principal of Richard Montgomery High School, she was the first woman ever appointed at Richard Montgomery. She was also the first Latina high school principal in MCPS. Deeny, who started with the district in 1999 as a media assistant, is now in her fifth year at the helm of Richard Montgomery. She previously served eight years as principal at Takoma Park Middle School.

“I’ve been very fortunate,” Deeny said.

Born in Washington, D.C. to a mother from Puerto Rico and an Irish father from New Jersey, Deeny grew up in Rockville. She and her sister were surrounded by loving grandparents and many aunts and uncles who regaled them with stories of their ancestry and backgrounds. Deeny couldn’t get enough.

Her mother only spoke Spanish to her daughters and was very involved in the local theater community. Deeny was often surrounded by her mom’s musical, writer and theater friends, and performed poetry with her mom from a young age. She also spent summers in Puerto Rico with her grandparents and extended family, learning music from her grandfather.

“From the time I was 6, I was playing guitar and singing and getting up in front of groups of people,” she remembers. “It was normal for me … Music and art and writing were a big part of my growing up.”

Deeny believes that her background has helped inform her leadership style, and she often uses it to connect with students.

“I think culturally, there is a strong focus on relationships,” she said. “A relational leader is one who can build community and trust. Sometimes, we can be very transactional and business oriented. My focus for the year is how do we balance relationships with process and results? Sometimes, we get so busy in our work that we lose sight of the importance of our relationships. I am always coming back to that.”

She shared that during Hispanic Heritage Month, she thinks about things her students and staff are going through and how she can help.

“Their stories motivate me,” Deeny said. “I think of our kids through the lens of knowing what it’s like. … My mom was the first one in her family to break the cycle of poverty, so it meant a lot to me to get a food pantry here [at RM], which we have now. That is a deeply personal thing. It’s just a little bit of relief for those who need it. … [Students] gave me that sensitivity, to think that a certain student could be like my mom or my grandfather; I understand what that is like. I understand the importance of education.”

The month is also a time for Deeny to reflect on times and family figures who shaped her. One of those figures was her mother, who earned a teaching degree and spent about 20 years teaching Spanish in MCPS, before retiring in 2007.

“I had a wonderful cast of characters who deeply influenced who I am and they were remarkable people,” Deeny said. “They left behind a legacy of love, hard work and dignity that is the foundation of my success as a person.”