Echo Spring 2023 - 23

Andrew saw how Allen struggled, and he
also saw how his parents worked with
the district to push for more inclusive
practices for him. " He was a huge part of
that school, and that was a testament to
the administration there that wanted him
to be included in the general population, "
Andrew said. " So that was really a catalyst
for me from an education standpoint. "
Allen graduated from Donegal High School
in 2007, one year before Andrew graduated
from Lancaster Bible College with his
Bachelor of Science in Education.
Thanks to Allen's influence, as well as
several summers spent teaching with Child
Evangelism Fellowship, Andrew knew he
wanted to teach. The education major
originally planned to teach secondary
education history, and now, almost 15
years after graduating from LBC, he's
taught at every level except high school.
Following his graduation from LBC,
Andrew began his teaching career at
Eastern York Middle School teaching
sixth-grade English. " English was never a
passion by any means, " he admitted, but
he had always enjoyed writing and settled
right into the subject matter. He taught at
the middle school for seven years, earning
his Master of Education in English from
Millersville University during that time.
His career underwent a transition when
the district did some consolidating and
moved Andrew to the elementary level.
While it was a big change from his position
at the middle school, it helped elevate him
to the next level. " It was really a God thing
to help move me into the next stage of my
career, " Andrew explained.
For the next five years, he taught fourth
and fifth grade at Kreutz Creek Elementary.
Once again looking to take the next step
in his career, Andrew completed his
administration certification and found
himself back at Eastern York Middle School,
this time as the assistant principal.
Enter 2020 and COVID-19. " My first
administration job was reopening schools
two years ago, " Andrew explained. He
remained at the middle school for two
years before accepting his current position
as principal at Wrightsville Elementary.
" This is where I wanted to be, " he said.
" This is the building I wanted to run. "
As principal, Andrew oversees the
population of 344 students. He is also
responsible for building management and
instructional leadership. " The instructional
leadership is the stuff that I'm really
passionate about, " he said. " I was in the
classroom for 12 years, which is a very
long time for a principal to come out of
the classroom. With the way education
has really shifted since I graduated from
college, I can really speak to a lot of the
high-yield instructional strategies because
I've actually done them, not just read
about them. "
" My time at LBC
taught me a lot
of those things. I
learned them at
LBC, but I wasn't
able to apply them
until I really got
into hard work. "
- Andrew Pry
The transition from middle school
administration to elementary
administration did not come without
its challenges. At the middle school,
Andrew was one of two administrators.
At Wrightsville Elementary, he's it.
" There were certain things that were in
my boss' lane and certain things that were
in my lane, and now everything is in my
lane, " he said. " That's the hardest part. "
The best part? " I love this age group, " he
said. " I love walking into the cafeteria and
kids want to talk to me. "
Working as a Christian educator in the
public sector comes with its own set of
unique challenges, some of which
Andrew has faced over the course of his
15-year career in a public school district.
" It is tough, " he admitted. " Obviously I
can't separate my worldview from my
work here. Everything that I do I view
through that lens. " Andrew always keeps in
mind the tenets of being a good witness
and testimony when handling various
situations-positive and negative-as well
as where he gives credit.
Andrew credits his time at Lancaster
Bible College with thoroughly preparing
him for the world of education through
the institution's extremely personalized
approach. " You didn't feel like a number on
an assembly line, and that was huge for
my development as a teacher, " he said.
He learned a lot about time management,
planning and organization. He had
the chance to learn the process of job
interviewing, writing resumes and some of
the more technical aspects of education.
" My time at LBC taught me a lot of those
things, " Andrew said. " I learned them [at
LBC] but I wasn't able to apply them until I
really got into hard work. My first year was
hard; you learn a ton your first year. You
second-guess, 'Why am I doing this?' "
Fortunately, Andrew's " why " is visible
every time he glances up from his desk.
His yellow Post-it note with Allen's name
scrawled across it serves as his daily
reminder of why the Lord led him down
this path.
" Education has changed so much, "
Andrew said. " It's challenging. It's always
been challenging, but there are so many
external pressures now. Being constantly
reminded of your roots of why you chose
to do this-that's why my brother's name
is there. "
ECHO 23
Echo Spring 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Echo Spring 2023
