Vincent Randazzo named principal of Annandale High School

Randazzo

Vincent Randazzo has been appointed principal of Annandale High School, succeeding John Ponton.

Randazzo has been assistant principal at AHS since 2005. He worked for the Fairfax County Police Department as an investigator and instructor, then switched gears to become an English teacher. He taught at Stuart, Annandale, and McLean high schools before joining the administration team at AHS.

He also has a lot of experience in athletics, including a stint as head coach of the Stuart HS football team.

Randazzo earned his a bachelor degree in criminal justice at Kings College in Pennsylvania and a masters degree in education administration at Virginia Tech with certification in preK-12. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in educational leadership at Virginia Tech.

One of his early challenges AHS will be overseeing implementation of the Annandale Regional Planning Study.

“Mr. Randazzo was picked from among eight candidates,” says Annandale PTSA President Emily Slough. “His consistent dedication to AHS, his long-term knowledge of the school and community, and his intrinsic role in helping Mr. Ponton create the successful structure we have today were all factors that I believe made him the right person for the job, especially during this time of transition.”

“Mr. Ponton’s shoes are indeed hard to fill,” Slough says. “As I see it, his legacy—a word that to some extent makes him chuckle—is to leave behind a high school that is set on a firm and solid course. Because of Mr. Ponton’s vision, AHS will continue to be the school that so many of us value—a truly unique place now considered the ‘flagship’ of Cluster III.”